Air Force veteran Greg Hach announces challenge to Santos

Correction: This article has been updated to remove an inaccurate reference to Rep. George Santos’s 2022 general election opponent.

Air Force veteran and lawyer Greg Hach on Tuesday announced he is mounting a primary challenge against embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

In a statement posted to his campaign’s social media pages, Hach said he is running for the seat to “restore integrity” to its office.

“It’s time to elect a principled, conservative public servant with the experience and toughness to take on the liberals in Washington and get things done,” Hach said. “The road to solving these problems will not be easy and our shared goals will not be reached overnight. But I will work tirelessly to earn the trust and support of third district voters and represent them honorably in Congress.”

Hach joins an already crowded field of candidates looking to unseat Santos as he seeks a second term.

Santos, who won election in November, has faced controversy throughout his time in Congress amid questions about his background and finances. In May, he was charged with 13 felony counts by federal prosecutors, including wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds. Santos has maintained his innocence, and some of his fellow GOP lawmakers have defended him following the allegations.

“I think in America, you’re innocent till proven guilty,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said at the time.

McCarthy, however, has said that Santos should not run for reelection, telling Fox News in an interview earlier this summer that “we’re going to keep that seat with another Republican.”

Santos said at the time the comments would not deter him from running.

— Updated at 3:23 p.m.