What happens if George Santos resigns? A Look at Past Resignations of New York Representatives

Despite fierce calls from both sides of the political parties for Long Island Rep. George Santos to resign, the newly minted Republican congressman refused to do so even after admitting to lying about his education, employment and family history.

What happens if George Santos resigns?

Under the House vacancy clause in the US Constitution, the states have “executive power” to hold special elections if a seat in the House of Representatives becomes vacant. Each state may determine its own timing and circumstances of elections. In New York State, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul will have 10 days to call a snap election to replace Santos, to be held within 70-80 days of the date of the proclamation – if Santos resigns this year, during the first session of Congress .

If Santos resigns during the second session of Congress, then the time between the vacancy and the next general election will come into play. Unlike the Seventeenth Amendment, which allows states to temporarily fill vacant seats in the Senate until a special election is held, the vacancy clause in the House of Representatives does not give states the same power in the House of Representatives.

Since 1977, there have been 13 vacancies in the State of New York in the House of Representatives: 11 were due to resignation, one due to death, and another vacancy due to lack of election certificate (because the race was too close to be announced), according to historical records.

Notable retirements at home in New York

Rep. Tom Reed (R)

Reed, a Republican who represented the 23rd district in western New York, resigned in May 2022, seven months before the end of his term and after announcing he would not seek re-election. This came after he was accused in 2017 of rubbing a lobbyist’s back and unhooking her bra without her consent.

He was replaced by Joseph Sempolinsky in a special election.

Rep. Antonio Delgado (D)

Delgado, a Democrat who represented New York’s 19th congressional district and was the first person of color to represent upstate New York in Congress, retired in 2022 to become Governor Hole’s lieutenant governor.

Democrat Pat Ryan, a former Ulster County executive, won Delgado’s congressional seat in August in a special election to end his term. He then ran again in the general election in November and won again.

Rep. Chris Collins (R)

Collins, a Republican congressman from western New York, resigned from his seat in September 2019 ahead of a pending guilty plea in an insider trading case in which he was accused of leaking confidential information during an urgent phone call made during picnic at the White House.

Voters chose Republican Chris Jacobs over Collins. In 2022, Jacobs said he would not run for another term in Congress due to backlash over his support for new gun control measures.

Rep. Michael Grimm (R)

Grimm, who represented New York’s 13th and 11th congressional districts, resigned after pleading guilty to one count of tax fraud in federal court in 2014.

The then Staten Island District Attorney, Daniel Donovan, was elected to the seat and formed a grand jury that refused to indict the officer who gave Eric Garner the death chokehold.

Rep. Chris Lee (R)

Lee, of the 26th congressional district, resigned in 2011 after Gawker.com posted a shirtless mobile phone photo and emails he reportedly sent to a woman on Craigslist.

Kathy Hochul replaced him after the snap election but then lost to Chris Collins after the district was redrawn ahead of the 2021 general election.

NBC New York correspondent Rana Novini reports.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D)

Confused Rep. Weiner announced his resignation from Congress in 2011 — 20 days after he inseminated a photo of his groin on Twitter, unraveling a scandal that eventually revealed a string of sexual relationships with women he met. on the internet, and the lies he told to cover it up.

Republican Robert L. Turner was elected to replace Weiner and served until 2013.

Rep. Eric Massa (D)

Congressman Massa resigned in 2010 after reports emerged that Massa was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexually harassing a male employee. The Democrat, representing New York’s 29th congressional district, issued a statement claiming full responsibility for the words said to the employee that made him feel “uncomfortable.”

Republican Tom Reid (who, as previously mentioned, also resigned from Congress) was elected to replace Mass.

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D)

Longtime Democratic Rep. Slaughter, who has represented the counties of New York for over three decades, died in March 2018 from injuries sustained in a fall at her home in Washington, D.C. Slaughter was 88 years old.

Congressman George Santos “cheated” wealthy donors into donating funds to his campaign. The lie helped his political groups raise nearly $3 million in 2022. CNBC political finance reporter Brian Schwartz joins NBC New York to tell the story.