Loan repayments accounted for more than 60 percent of the $133,000 that Santos reported collecting in the second quarter. The first-term congressman, who lied about much of his resume before his election last year, has reported that he has $55,000 in cash on hand for his main campaign committee.
His primary fundraising motivation was donors who gave the maximum of $3,300, as the filing shows. Among those who maxed out until the congressmen arrived were individuals who listed their occupations as “student,” “housewife,” and “part-time job/casher (sic).”
The latest filing with the FOMC also included the unusual note that the campaign aims to report accurate totals based on “incomplete” historical data.
Santos’ campaign previously lost money during the first quarter, with refunds exceeding new contributions received. However, the embattled New York congressman announced in April that he intended to run for re-election.
In May, he was indicted on charges including wire fraud and theft of public funds. Prosecutors allege he asked a New York political consultant to solicit donations ostensibly to support his congressional campaign that were actually transferred into his personal bank accounts.
Santos also allegedly received unemployment benefits in 2020 even though he held a job, and he is accused of making false statements about mandatory personal financial disclosures made during his first congressional campaign.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has not called for Santos to resign in light of the accusations but has said he should not run for re-election.
Filings earlier this week indicated that Santos was in the process of terminating at least two joint fundraising committees that brought money to his campaign in the most recent cycle.
His fundraising this quarter portends a difficult path to re-election — especially since he faces challenges from both parties. Kellen Curry, who filed to run in the Long Island area as a Republican, said earlier in the week that he raised more than $200,000 during his campaign and leadership of the PAC from April through June.
Half a dozen Democrats have also filed to run against Santos, with the party seeing a potential capture opportunity in a district Biden won in 2020.
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