Scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos (R-NY) drew his first primary challenger Monday from Afghanistan veteran Kellen Curry.
Curry, who went on two tours in Afghanistan and served as a vice president at JPMorgan, vowed to “restore honesty and integrity back to our congressional representation,” alluding to Santos’s backstory fabrication scandal.
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Having worked at JPMorgan since 2019 and served as an equities research analyst, Curry quit his job and filed the necessary paperwork to run Monday. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2009 and went to George Washington University.
“Several months ago, we all learned a new name: George Santos. The audacity of the lies he has told seems to move everyone to ask: How do people like George Santos get elected?” Curry wrote on his campaign website. “I’ve decided to step up.”
Curry described himself as a “kitchen table Republican” in an interview with Bloomberg. He also expressed interest in national security matters and is seeking to run an issues-oriented campaign.
Santos, who represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, became a household name late last year following revelations he embellished vast swaths of his resume. Examples include multiple claims that he earned a degree from New York University and was a “descendant” of Holocaust survivors.
A chorus of Republicans and Democrats urged Santos to resign in the wake of the scandal, but he has remained defiant. Santos has also confessed to fabricating details of his past.
“This wasn’t about tricking people. This was about getting accepted by the party here locally,” Santos told interviewer Piers Morgan earlier this year. “This stems more deeper into the political apparatus and the political culture of New York state. And that would take a lot more time than this program to go over to explain.”
Last month, Santos filed paperwork to run for reelection, which does not guarantee he will run. His victory in the 2022 midterm elections flipped a seat red and coincided with a handful of congressional Republican pickups in the Empire State.
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Santos is believed to be facing several investigations, including from the House Ethics Committee.
So far, the district lacks a prominent Democratic challenger. The Washington Examiner contacted representatives for Santos and Curry for comment.
