Yep, you heard that right. Rep. Little Bo Peep is running for re-election. He officially filed for re-election, having surpassed a Federal Elections Committee threshold. The Committee states that if a candidate raises over $5,000 they need to declare themselves to be a candidate. It’s a curious point, as it reveals that Santos has been generating some donations, despite all the negative publicity surrounding him.
Santos of course is walking on eggshells, with his campaign spending under investigation by congress. Any misstep may put him in jail. Still, allies confirm Santos is planning on actively campaigning and seeking votes for second term in 2024.
Needless to say, Santos certainly won’t have the GOP primary field all to himself, and a strong Democrat will be eager to face him in the general election.
State Senator Jack Martins would likely be seen as the frontrunner should he jump in. The Long Island Republican was the nominee in the same district four years before Santos won, and lost by a decent but not whopping margin. He may not be loyal enough to win the nomination in a primary however. Martins said he voted for Trump in 2016 but would not endorse him and has been largely mum on the president since.
Andrea Catsimatidis, the chair of the Manhattan Republican Party, would come in with strong fundraising numbers. She’s the daughter of billionaire John Catsimatidis, who ran against Michael Bloomberg for the GOP nomination for NYC many moons ago. She’d be the youngest candidate in the race, perhaps using her age to generate support.
And adding some diversity to the GOP, some activists are keen on Mazi Pilip, a black Ethiopian Jew who is a legislature in Santos’s county. She grew up in Israel, being a part of Operation Solomon, which airlifted Ethiopian Jews as their nation underwent turmoil and political strife.
On the Democratic side, noted attorney Robert Zimmerman, who lost to Santos last year, has thrown his hat in the ring. Nipping at his heels is the likely entry of Josh Lafazan, a county legislator who lost to Zimmerman in the primary. At only 29 years old, Lafazan would have a generational argument to make as well.
If you don’t want Santos to continue, take a look at some of these candidates on either side. Follow them on social media, and if you like them, invest in them. It’s always tough to beat an incumbent, if someone knocks out Santos, it’ll be due to grassroots support.
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