'It's only goodbye for now, I'll be back': George Santos drops congressional bid

Former Republican Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from Congress last year while representing New York's 3rd Congressional District, has announced that he is dropping his bid to represent New York's 1st Congressional District.

"I have decided to withdraw from my independent run for #NY1," Santos tweeted on Tuesday. "I don't want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota… Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems," he continued.

"I have meet with leaders and with constituents and I have made the decision to hang it up here and stop perusing this race, THIS YEAR!" he wrote. "The future holds countless possibilities and I am ready willing and able to step up to the plate and go fight for my country at anytime," he noted. "It’s only goodbye for now, I'll be back."

Last month, Santos announced that he would challenge GOP Rep. Nick LaLota, the congressman who represents New York's 1st Congressional District.

"I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick for the battle over #NY1. I look forward to debating him on the issues and on his weak record as a Republican. The fight for our majority is imperative for the survival of the country," Santos tweeted in March.

Then, later in March, he announced that he would run for office as an independent.

"I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything. I am officially suspending my petitioning in #NY01 to access the ballot as a Republican and will be filling to run as an independent," Santos had tweeted.

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