Democratic activist Zak Malamed the latest contender hoping to oust serial liar Rep. George Santos
The list of candidates hoping to give New York Rep. George Santos the boot from Congress is growing.
Zak Malamed officially jumped into the race on Monday as the fourth Democrat to reclaim the seat held by the serial liar and now criminal defendant.
Born and raised in Great Neck, which is part of the 3rd Congressional District that covers much of Nassau County and parts of northeastern Queens, Malamed is also a co-founder of the group The Next 50 which tries to elect younger Democrats.
The 29-year-old will face off in a Democratic primary against former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan, and St. John’s U. Law professor William Murphy.
“George Santos is an international embarrassment. When I went to Israel for the 75th anniversary of independence, they were asking about George Santos. They knew about all the lies, including the lies about his Jewish ancestry,” Malamed said.
“I spent the last four years defeating MAGA Republicans across the country in some of the most competitive districts and states, and now, the reality is that the things that I had to fight outside of home, have come home,” Zak continued. “New Yorkers are hungry for fresh leadership, and this district will be crucial for taking back the majority in Washington—I’m ready to bring the fight and win this seat back.”
He said he would focus on bolstering education and pushing for stronger gun safety restrictions,
Republican leaders are looking for a candidate to replace or defeat Santos in a primary if he is not convicted of a crime.
Santos has refused to resign and vows to seek reelection, calling the criminal case against him a “witch hunt”.
One Republican has emerged — Air Force veteran Kellen Curry, who served in Afghanistan and worked former JP Morgan’s executive.
“Asked about a potential challenge from Curry, Santos said, “I guess I’ll show him around while we engage in the primary. The scenery in NY03 is very different than his native Oklahoma and his current Long Island City apartment.”
Keeping track of Rep. George Santos' lies
Santos has admitted he lied on the campaign trail about his education and work experience.
- Claimed to have attended Horace Mann private school
A school spokesperson told CNN, “We’ve searched the records and there is no evidence that George Santos (or any alias) attended Horace Mann.”
- Claimed to have earned degrees from New York University and Baruch College
After the New York Times reported that neither school could find his name in their records, Santos came clean to The Post.
- Claimed to have worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs
Both financial firms told the New York Times they couldn’t confirm his employment claims.
- Claimed to own 13 rental properties
Santos confessed to The Post that he “does not own any properties” and acknowledged that he lived in his sister’s home on Long Island.
- Touted himself as a ‘proud American Jew’ whose grandparents escaped the Holocaust
“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos said. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
- Claimed his mom was a groundbreaking executive who died as a result of the Sept. 11 terror attacks
Fatima A.C.H. Devolder died on Dec. 23, 2016, at Elmhurst Hospital Hospice.
Curry blasted Santos as “completely of touch” for attacking his travels as a member of the military. He said he’ll be moving into the district.
Democrats are already trying to link their GOP opponents to Santos, who is accused of embezzling $50,000 in campaign money to buy designer clothing and pay personal expenses.
Federal prosecutors also allege Santos, 34, cheated his way to COVID unemployment benefits and lied to Congress on financial disclosure forms in which he claimed to be a millionaire, according to the 13-count federal indictment.
