Scandal-scarred Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has his first primary challenger — war veteran Kellen Curry.
Curry, who went on two tours in Afghanistan and served as a vice president at JPMorgan, vowed to "restore honesty and integrity back to our congressional representation," alluding to Santos’ sketchy background claims.
The equities research analyst at JPMorgan since 2019 quit his job and on Monday filed the paperwork for his political bid. Curry graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2009 and went to George Washington University.
"Several months ago, we all learned a new name: George Santos. The audacity of the lies he has told seems to move everyone to ask: How do people like George Santos get elected?" Curry wrote on his campaign website. "I’ve decided to step up."
In a Bloomberg interview, Curry described himself as a "kitchen table Republican,” and said he’d run an issues-focused campaign.
Santos skyrocket to notoriety after The New York Times revealed he’d embellished much of his background. Santos later admitted to the “sins.”
There’s been a bipartisan call for Santos to resign but he hasn’t budged.
"This wasn't about tricking people. This was about getting accepted by the party here locally," Santos told Piers Morgan. "This stems more deeper into the political apparatus and the political culture of New York state. And that would take a lot more time than this program to go over to explain."
Santos filed paperwork in March to run for reelection. His victory in the 2022 midterm elections flipped a seat red and coincided with a handful of congressional Republican pickups in the Empire State, the Washington Examiner noted.
He’s believed to be facing several investigations, including from the House Ethics Committee.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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