Serial liar and freshman Rep. George Santos has accomplished an awful lot in a very short amount of times since being sworn into Congress a little over two weeks ago.
First of all, Santos a higher profile and more name recognition among New York voters than Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn native and six-term Congressman who Democrats recently elevated to Minority Leader of their caucus.
Second, Santos has managed to cut through partisan differences, uniting New York voters of all stripes against him in a new Siena College survey released Monday. The statewide poll found that 55% of Democrats, 56% of Republicans and 59% of independents view Santos unfavorably.
“It is fascinating that Santos has gone from largely unknown freshman representative-elect to being more well known to New Yorkers than Brooklyn’s Hakeem Jeffries, just elected to his sixth term and the new U.S. House Minority Leader,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
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Overall, Santos is 40 points underwater, with 56% of voters viewing him unfavorably, just 16% having a favorable view, and 28% saying they either didn't know of him or had no opinion.
Similarly, 59% of voters say Santos should resign, including 64% of Democrats, 49% of Republicans, and 59% of independents. Only 17% say Santos should not resign.
Suburbanites were particularly harsh in the poll, with 71% saying Santos should resign, just 15% saying he shouldn't, and only 14% having no opinion.
Santos, seemingly basking in his newfound celebrity, continues to resist calls for his resignation. Of course, he's also doing so with the full backing of House GOP leadership, who are clinging to their fragile majority for dear life.
It's a particularly bad look for a party that once counted uber-dependable suburban voters as a core part of its base and now constantly finds new ways to alienate them at every turn.