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Among the state’s registered voters, nearly two-thirds of Democrats and 59 percent of independents think Santos should resign, according to a Siena College poll revealed Monday, Jan. 23.
A strong plurality of Republicans, 49 percent, also said he should step down. Just 17 percent of voters think he should remain in office.
Santos, a Republican representing the state’s 3rd District on Long Island’s North Shore and parts of Queens, has faced repeated calls to resign from members of his own party and has become the butt of late-night jokes after admitting that he lied about much of his background while on the campaign trail.
The Siena College poll found that upstate voters think Santos should step down by a 36-point margin, and by a 39-point margin in New York City.
“Voters overwhelmingly view Santos unfavorably, including 55 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of independents,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
“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 US House Minority Leader.”
The poll was conducted between Sunday, Jan. 15, and Thursday, Jan. 19 among 821 registered voters in New York.
Results were made public just days after a disabled Navy veteran accused Santos of stealing thousands of dollars in charity money that was meant to pay for his dying service dog’s surgery. Santos has denied the allegation.
Since being sworn into office on Saturday, Jan. 7, Santos has also seen House Democrats file a complaint against him with the House Ethics Committee demanding an investigation into his financial disclosure reports.
A nonprofit group has also filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), accusing Santos of illegally using campaign funds for personal expenses and hiding the sources of his campaign donations.
Santos is also facing investigations by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
In the first Saturday Night Live episode of the year, which aired on Jan. 21, Santos was lampooned in separate sketches, including the show's cold opening, linked here, and the "Weekend Update" segment, available here.
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