George Santos now facing 13 challengers for congressional seat 

The number of challengers looking to unseat Rep. George Santos continues to grow as Republicans and Democrats launch bids to replace the embattled representative of New York's 3rd Congressional District.

Santos said he is running for reelection as he fights 13 federal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He has pleaded not guilty.

There is no clear frontrunner on either side. The chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties in Nassau County have not endorsed anyone and are fielding inquiries from dozens of candidates.

As of Aug. 16, seven Democrats and seven Republicans had declared their candidacies. That includes Santos, (R-Queens/Nassau), who won a first term in November and announced in April he would seek a second.

Newsday has reported that GOP contenders include Kellen Curry, a business executive and U.S. Air Force veteran, Mike Sapraicone, chief executive of a private security company and a retired NYPD detective, and Philip Sean Grillo of Glen Oaks, Queens, who has been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Candidates on the Democratic side include former State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Port Washington), Nassau County Legis. Joshua Lafazan (D-Woodbury) and St. John's Law School professor William Murphy. Campaign fundraiser Zak Malamed and radio reporter Darius Radzius have filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission as well.

Gregory Hach, a Republican from Upper Brookville, is among the latest to announce a bid for the seat.

A personal injury lawyer and U.S. Air Force veteran, Hach said Wednesday he was "very disappointed with Santos. I think we need to get on with the business of taking care of the district."

An attorney for Santos did not respond to requests for comment. 

Daniel Norber, a small-business owner from Bayside, Queens, has also filed to run as a Republican. So has Dr. Harvey Manes, an orthopedic surgeon who sought the GOP nomination for the seat in 2022.

On the Democratic side, Steve Behar, an attorney from Bayside, Queens, who has run unsuccessfully in primaries for the New York City Council, and Scott Livingston, a nanotech entrepreneur from Port Washington, are the latest to file paperwork with the FEC.

Former three-term Democratic Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who chose not to seek a fourth term to run in an unsuccessful primary against Gov. Kathy Hochul, has been mentioned as a possible candidate. So has Robert Zimmerman of Great Neck, a public relations executive and Demoratic National Committeeman who lost to Santos in 2022.

Neither has said if he plans to run.

As of June 30, several candidates had amassed sizable campaign accounts, according to filings from the FEC: Lafazan had $547,593 in cash on hand; Kaplan had $389,840; and Curry had $164,881.

In 2021, the New York Daily News reported that Behar made misognystic remarks to women on social media.

"I regret saying it," Behar said Wednesday.

The newspaper also reported that Behar cursed at protesters at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2021. Behar disputed the report and sued the publication.

A judge dismissed the complaint. In May, a lawyer for the Daily News said in a court filing that both sides "reached an agreement as to all remaining issues."

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.