Republican congressman-elect George Santos of New York divorced a woman in 2019, days before the start of his failed 2020 campaign.In a new report by The Daily Beast, Santos didn’t disclose his marriage to a woman throughout his campaign while he positioned himself as a proud gay Republican.Santos is the first gay Republican to be elected to Congress while being out from the get-go when he beat out Democrat Robert Zimmerman in last month’s midterm elections.
Predecessors Steve Gunderson and Jim Kolbe came out while already in office.“The divorce—which Santos has not discussed publicly—adds new uncertainty to his already shaky biographical and political claims,” the outlet reports.Santos had previously said that he was “openly gay,” and that he never had a problem with his sexual orientation.The Beast reports that after his divorce was finalized, he filed to run for Congress in 2020 — where he went on to lose.
His recent 2022 campaign bio does refer to his husband. Santos said that he lives with his husband and dogs on Long Island.The outlet found New York court records that indicate that in 2019 a George Devolder Santos, with a second initial of “A,” finalized a divorce with a Uadla Santos Vieira Santos.
It noted that in public records searches only one person appeared with that name.Santos’s middle name is Anthony and has gone by Devolder — his mother’s maiden name — previously.“People get married for countless reasons.