George Santos left out of McCarthy fundraising group to help NY GOP candidates

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) may be running for reelection but the embattled congressman, under fire for fabricating portions of his resume, isn’t likely to get much financial help from his party, a new fundraising vehicle indicates.

Santos’ seat is one of Democrats’ top targets in next year’s elections, but the freshman lawmaker is a notable omission from Protect the House New York 2024, a joint fundraising committee formed to corral money for vulnerable House Republicans in the state.

The committee includes both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his leadership PAC, as well as the NRCC, the House Republicans’ campaign arm, and the New York State Republicans’ federal PAC. It will raise money for frontline New York Reps. Mike Lawler, Brandon Williams, Marc Molinaro, Anthony D’Esposito, Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota, according to organization paperwork filed Monday with the FEC.

Joint fundraising committees allow multiple candidates to bundle large amounts of cash from donors while helping defray the costs associated with raising that money.

McCarthy’s involvement in the effort means that the freshmen lawmakers, whose unexpected strength in last year’s midterms helped propel Republicans to take over the House, will be able to tap into the speaker’s fundraising prowess as they try to defend their majority.

Several participants in the joint fundraising committee have called for the resignation of Santos, who faces an ethics investigation over fraud allegations, though McCarthy has declined to do the same.

Asked Monday whether he would support Santos’ reelection campaign, McCarthy reportedly responded with a laugh and said he would “wait and see” who else jumped in the race.

Protect the House New York is the latest joint fundraising vehicle for endangered GOP incumbents from the state to leave out scandal-ridden Santos. The NRCC helped launch a joint fundraising committee in February called New York Majority Makers, which includes every Republican representing Long Island except for Santos.

The exclusions come as Santos could use help raising money amid a torrent of controversies: The freshman’s first quarter fundraising data released this weekend show Santos’ campaign raised just $5,333.26, meaning that after handing out more than $8,000 in refunds he is starting a defiant reelection bid in the red.