These Republicans fear 'embarrassment' George Santos could doom their hopes of retaking the Senate in 2024

10 February 2023

GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been reluctant to criticize Rep. George Santos, the Queens/Long Island Republican who has been inundated with bad publicity for the abundance of flat-out lies he told during his 2022 campaign. Republicans have only a narrow single-digit majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and if Santos were to resign, a special election could put his seat back in Democratic hands.

But resigning is exactly what Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is asking Santos to do. Romney, in contrast to McCarthy, has been downright scathing in his criticism of Santos, slamming him as an "embarrassment." And other Senate Republicans, according to The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, fear that all the terrible publicity surrounding Santos could imperil their hopes of retaking the U.S. Senate in 2024.

In an article published by The Hill on February 10, Bolton explains, "Senate Republicans, who are battling to win back the majority in 2024, worry the controversy surrounding Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has become a liability for their party as a whole, and several are expressing quiet support for Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) call for Santos to step down. GOP senators are reluctant to tell their House Republican counterparts what to do, but they privately hope Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) won’t let the situation fester for much longer."

Senate Republicans, according to Bolton, fear that Santos will "become emblematic of their party, which could turn off independent and swing voters." And Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska agrees with Romney that Santos has become a liability for her party.

Murkowski, a moderate conservative who isn’t shy about butting heads with far-right MAGA Republicans, told The Hill, "I am surprised that the man has not resigned, and I think it just speaks to his own lack of self-awareness and what he has done to (the) institution. It’s not like we’ve got a really strong public approval rating. It doesn’t do much to elevate us in the eyes of the American public when it would appear we are kind of protecting somebody just because he’s a member of our caucus."

The Alaska Republican went on to say, "And so, I’m surprised he hasn’t resigned and there hasn’t been a greater push or call for him to step out by his constituents…. How does an individual who would fabricate aspects of his life story in order to gain election successfully gain election?"

Another Republican senator, interviewed on condition of anonymity, agrees with Romney that Santos is a problem for the GOP but said it’s up to House Republicans to speak out against him.

That senator told The Hill, "My policy is not to meddle in what goes on in the House…. I think it needs to be said by his colleagues in the House. There’s nothing wrong with a frank discussion about how you’re harming the brand or your behavior is not acceptable to the norms of Congress."

Read The Hill’s full report at this link.

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