Good Thursday evening. This is Daniel Allott with The Hill's Top Opinions.
He's been in Congress only a little over two weeks, but George Santos has already become a huge liability to his party, writes former Rep. JOHN LEBOUTILLIER (R-N.Y.).
Leboutillier is the last Republican to represent the area of Queens and Long Island that Santos now represents — back when it was New York's 6th Congressional District; now it's the state's 3rd District.
Leboutillier says local GOP officials are complaining that Santos is already endangering Republicans' chances in November's local elections. "A Republican town supervisor, who endorsed Santos last fall, told me recently, 'Santos is already being draped around my neck,'" the author reports.
As more of Santos's lies surface, and as the scandal surrounding him deepens, his popularity in his district is cratering. A recent poll found that nearly two in three of Santos's constituents want him to resign.
Many local GOP leaders also want him gone, but there's a problem, Leboutillier writes: "in Washington he remains crucial to the narrow margin the House GOP maintains. It is said the GOP Conference cannot afford to jettison Santos and reduce the slim, five-vote margin."
It's a conundrum, but Leboutillier thinks he's got the perfect solution. It'll involve some hard-ball politics from six New York Republican representatives.
"But if it doesn't happen soon," he writes, "the political malignancy that is George Santos may cost the GOP not only in New York State elections but nationally, too."
Read Leboutillier's entire op-ed here.
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