Disgraced former New York Republican Representative George Santos was widely mocked after he announced he may leave New York City over fears it will become "dangerous" if Zohran Mamdani—a democratic socialist—is elected mayor.
Mamdani handily defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary in June, sparking racist and Islamophobic backlash from right-wingers who've claimed his policies would "destroy" the city. The latest polls show Mamdani has a double-digit lead over Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, who is facing calls to drop out.
All of this is terrible news to Santos, whose political career was derailed by allegations of fabricating his background, misusing campaign funds for luxury items and Botox, and leaving a trail of victims behind him as a known fraud and identity thief. Santos has been soapboxing significantly since President Donald Trump commuted his prison sentence last week.
In a post on X, he wrote that New York City will become "a very dangerous" place should Mamdani emerge victorious:
"Sadly it seems that my family and I will be departing the city I’ve called home my entire life. NYC will become a very dangerous place to live in if we elect mayor Mamdani and that is a risk I am unwilling to take now that I want to start growing my family.”
You can see his post below.
No one was particularly sad about that considering Santos won't commit to paying back the hundreds of thousands of dollars he stole from victims of his financial schemes.
Regardless of whether he leaves or not, Santos isn't out of the woods just yet where his legal problems are concerned.
Prosecutors on Long Island have not ruled out filing local charges against him. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office—which covers part of the district Santos once represented—declined to comment on whether any specific investigations are underway or what potential state charges might be under consideration.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement that "while the office cannot comment on ongoing investigations, suffice it to say that I remain focused on prosecuting political corruption wherever it exists regardless of political affiliation."
