George Santos challenger’s plan to take down ‘most ineffective member of Congress’
Ryan King
Video Embed
EXCLUSIVE — Congressional hopeful Kellen Curry says he is on a mission to restore “honest leadership” back to his district, which has been rocked by controversy over scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
To defeat Santos and head off a Democratic effort to reclaim the seat, Curry is starting early and burnishing a message concentrated on effectiveness and economic issues. Curry believes Santos is the “most ineffective member of Congress” and that his deceitfulness has harmed his constituents.
GEORGE SANTOS GETS HIS FIRST MAJOR GOP CHALLENGER
“Our campaign is talking about restoring honest leadership back to the congressional district. Quite frankly, nothing can happen, people can’t be served, constituents can’t be delivered services that they need and should have, because nobody trusts George Santos in the Congress,” Curry told the Washington Examiner.
“He doesn’t sit on any committees. So, he’s the most ineffective member of Congress.”
Curry, a first-time candidate, announced his candidacy for New York’s 3rd Congressional District earlier this month, becoming the first major Republican to challenge Santos. The incumbent congressman filed paperwork to run for reelection but hasn’t announced he will do so.
After flipping the district, which encompasses the North Shore of Long Island, Santos became embroiled in scandal after revelations emerged that he embellished vast swaths of his resume and backstory. For instance, he claimed to be a “descendant” of Holocaust survivors and earned a degree from New York University.
Members of Congress from both parties urged him to step down in the wake of the scandal, but Santos has refused. The congressman is reportedly facing a multitude of investigations, including from the House Ethics Committee. Santos has publicly admitted to being a “terrible liar” and cited pressures to win as the motivation.
Curry believes he should be expelled.
“He absolutely defrauded the American people to get to Congress. It’s not fair to the people that after he gets elected, they find out all these lies and kind of have to just wait it out,” Curry said.
But dispatching Santos isn’t Curry’s only focus. A self-described “kitchen-table Republican,” Curry is keen on mounting an issues-oriented campaign, with a particular interest in the economy and foreign policy.
“We need to be laser-focused on those issues, and not some of the other issues that may get people riled up in the media or things like that,” Curry said. “I want to be somebody that can work across the aisle and want to be somebody that can really deliver for our district.”
Curry is a military veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan and worked at JPMorgan as an equities research analyst. He started off his political journey as a Democrat, growing up in Oklahoma.
“Over time, you just learn, and you grow into your own person, and I just began to believe that the ideas of limited government, low taxes, a strong national defense, the free market enterprise just make a lot of sense to me,” he said. “I think we’re at a unique point in the party’s trajectory.”
Curry said he believes that the GOP has an opportunity to make inroads with nontraditional voters given the current political environment.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Meanwhile, New York Democrats are gearing up to take back the 3rd District, one of four major GOP flips during the midterm elections. These efforts include billboard campaigns and court battles on the redistricting front.
“I think this is going to be a very, very competitive race,” Curry predicted. “It’s incredibly important that we have the right candidates who can appeal across demographics, who can appeal to a broad section of Long Islanders to secure this seat for Republicans.”