NEW YORK (PIX11) – Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to declare a special election after former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was expelled from Congress on Friday.
"I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District by scheduling a special election. The people of Long Island and Queens deserve nothing less," Hochul said.
The special election would take place in February. Democrat and Republican party leaders will now have to choose nominees.
Santos is the sixth sitting lawmaker to ever be expelled from the House. The bipartisan landslide vote, led by members of the New York delegation, was the third attempt to expel him since May.
The vote came on the heels of a bipartisan House Ethics Committee Report which accused Santos of stealing from his campaign and deceiving donors. It marked the final chapter in Santos' time in Congress, which included a federal indictment and allegations he lied while running for his seat.
A special election would have an impact on the narrow majority of Republicans in the House. It's also being seen as a look-ahead at what will come in next year's congressional races.
Santos hasn't commented since the vote but previously said without him going through the legal process, the vote was preliminary.
Who will represent New York's 3rd Congressional District is tough to call. President Joe Biden won the area by 8 points in 2020, but it has since moved in a more conservative direction in the last few years.
Former New York State Sen. Anna Kaplan and former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who has previously represented the district, both said they were interested in running for the seat.