(WASHINGTON) — Embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on Tuesday filed a new statement of candidacy to the Federal Election Commission, indicating he’s running for reelection — a move that will allow him to continue to raise campaign funds.
The new filing is in response to a letter from the FEC last month asking Santos to clarify if he’s running again in 2024, in order for him to continue raising money through his principal campaign committee, Devolder-Santos for Congress.
Campaign finance experts say it’s common for newly elected members of Congress to immediately declare candidacy again for a new election cycle in order to continue raising money, and that it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will for certain run again the following year.
But the new statement of candidacy from Santos is notable because of the unique situation the embattled freshman congressman faces, experts have said. Members of both parties have asked Santos to resign after he was caught fabricating large swaths of his background, and he is the target of numerous investigations.
Santos’ congressional office did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Earlier this year, Santos lost his longtime treasurer amid questions regarding the source and use of his campaign funds, and his campaign committee has yet to answer numerous questions from the FEC asking to amend irregularities in its filings.
Last week, Santos said “maybe” when asked if he was considering running for reelection but answered “no” when pressed if he’s having discussions about potentially running again.
ABC News’ Wil Steakin and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
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