Former U.S. Congressman George Santos has ended his independent campaign to unseat Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY).

“I have decided to withdraw from my independent run for #NY1… I don’t want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota… Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems,” Santos said.

“It is clear that with the rise of antisemitism in our country we cannot afford to hand the house to Dems as they have a very large issue with antisemitism in their ranks… Staying in this race all but guarantees a victory for the Dems in the race… I have meet with leaders and with constituents and I have made the decision to hang it up here and stop perusing this race, THIS YEAR!” he continued.

“The future holds countless possibilities and I am ready willing and able to step up to the plate and go fight for my country at anytime. I will continue to participate in the public policy discussion and will do my part… I will always strive to stand on the right side of history. It’s only goodbye for now, I’ll be back,” he added.

🚨Announcement!

I have decided to withdraw from my independent run for #NY1…

I don’t want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota… Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the…

— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) April 23, 2024

Santos, who represented New York's 3rd congressional district, previously launched his independent bid for New York's 1st congressional district after being expelled from Congress.

From the New York Post:

Santos, elected in 2022 to represent parts of Nassau County and Queens, became just the sixth House member — and first Republican — to be expelled from the chamber on Dec. 1 following the release of a scathing ethics report that found he used campaign funds for personal splurges, including X-rated OnlyFans subscriptions, Botox injections and lavish trips.

LaLota was one of 105 Republicans who voted to give Santos the boot.

Despite storming out of the Capitol and declaring “to hell with this place” following his expulsion, Santos announced March 7 that he would run against LaLota — after attending President Biden’s State of the Union address as a guest.

Earlier this month, a Federal Election Commission filing revealed that the Santos campaign had reported no fundraising or spending as of the end of March — which the ex-congressman said was intentional.

George Santos ends comeback bid for Congress after raising no money https://t.co/JfiSWpn3uj

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 24, 2024

WATCH:

In an exclusive interview conducted today by Dr. Phil McGraw, former United States Congressman, George Santos, announced he has decided to suspend his new campaign for re-election.

Santos (New York 3rd district representative from Jan-Dec 2023) is the sole subject of an… pic.twitter.com/F702ZJaTxr

— Dr. Phil (@DrPhil) April 23, 2024

Per USA Today:

Santos drew bipartisan condemnation from lawmakers last year for fabrications about his biography on the campaign trail, which he admitted to shortly after being sworn in to Congress.

Lawmakers’ patience with Santos eventually ran out when the House Ethics Committee released a scathing report last year that found substantial evidence Santos misused campaign funds for his own personal benefit, including spending donations on OnlyFans, Sephora and other luxury purchases.

Santos' trial on his litany of federal charges is expected to begin in September.