It’s only been two days since Congress took the historic step of expelling Republican Rep. George Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives.
While his dramatic flair continues to ripple through pop culture — from a stellar Bowen Yang cold open on “Saturday Night Live,” to Santos himself spending some late nights on social media lashing out at his former Republican colleagues, accepting a pay-per-view interview invitation from Ziwe and increasing the price of his video appearances on Cameo — the reality is now a vacant seat needs to be filled by the voters of the 3rd Congressional District.
And just like Santos himself, this process will be anything but ordinary.
Here’s what happens next and what it means for prospective candidates, party leaders and most importantly voters in the northeast Queens and Nassau County district.
When is the seat filled?
Under state law, Gov. Kathy Hochul must issue a proclamation to set the date for a special election within ten days of that vacancy, which occurred on Dec. 1. That means, she must set the date for that special election by Monday, Dec. 11. The special election needs to fall more than 70 and less than 80 days from the date of that proclamation, which means voters will likely be casting a ballot in the frigid month of February.
Will there be a primary election to pick the candidates for that race?
No. Under state law, the county party leaders will select the Democrat and Republican candidates for the special election.
For the Democrats, that means Nassau County and State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs will play a driving role in the process. Jacobs said he plans to work in consultation with Hochul, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the Queens County Democrats.
Jacobs told Gothamist that he began holding screening panels with candidates starting on Friday afternoon. On Monday, he texted Gothamist that he will announce a Democratic nominee “Thursday, I hope.”
For the…
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