Democrat Zimmerman challenges Santos to resign and face him again in special election

Defeated New York congressional candidate Robert Zimmerman (D) on Tuesday called on his former opponent, Rep.-elect George Santos (R), to resign and run in a new election after Santos admitted to lying about his professional and educational background.

Santos in an interview with the New York Post acknowledged discrepancies in his background, which were previously reported by The New York Times, but Santos contended he would serve out his term, arguing that he campaigned “talking about the people’s concerns, not my resume.”

“George, if that’s even your real name, if you’re so convinced that #NY3 voters still trust you - resign & run against me again in a special election,” Zimmerman wrote on Twitter. “Face the voters with your real past & answer questions about your criminal history. Let the voters decide.”

Santos flipped the Long Island district last month after Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) opted to campaign for the state’s governorship rather than run for reelection. Santos won by 8 percentage points.

The Republican’s victory was one of multiple key GOP wins in New York congressional districts in the midterms, helping the party to secure a narrow House majority in the upcoming Congress.

But after the election, The New York Times published a report earlier this month detailing various discrepancies in Santos’s purported background, including Santos’s false claims that he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and that he’d graduated from New York’s Baruch College.

“My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry,” Santos told the New York Post in an interview on Monday.

The Hill has reached out to Santos’s attorney for comment. Santos is set to take office on Jan. 3.

Zimmerman’s demand adds to a chorus of Democrats who have called for Santos to resign his newly won seat.

House Minority Leader-elect Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said last week that Santos “appears to be a complete and utter fraud.”