Republican George Santos has been endorsed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as he bids for the 3rd Congressional District. 

McCarthy has been in his current post since 2019 and represents California’s 23rd Congressional District. 

“I am excited to announce that GOP Leader @kevinomccarthy has officially endorsed my campaign for Congress,” Santos tweeted July 7. “I look forward to working with him to take America back. Together we will help preserve and protect the American dream for generations to come.”

Santos’ fundraising totals in the first quarter of 2022 earned him second place among all candidates behind Democrat Robert Zimmerman and ahead of Democratic candidate Joshua Lafazan. 

Santos is running for the seat currently held by Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who is coming off a failed run in the gubernatorial primary, losing to Gov. Kathy Hochul in late June, and will not be running to retain his seat in Congress.

New district maps were submitted earlier this year by a court-appointed special master and have been viewed as more neutral compared to ones that were rejected by the state Appeals Court several weeks ago.

While the 3rd Congressional District under the new proposal does not extend as far west as the Bronx or Westchester, it does stretch to more southern parts of Nassau County such as Hicksville and Massapequa. The new lines do exclude the parts of the district that now stretch into Suffolk County, mainly Huntington and Smithtown.

Santos, who ran against Suozzi in 2020, was named an “On the Radar” candidate in the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program earlier this year, his campaign said.

Also running for the Democratic nomination in the district’s Aug. 23 primary are former North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman, Melanie D’Arrigo of Port Washington and Oyster Bay’s Reema Rasool.

If elected, Santos would become the first openly gay member of Congress from Long Island and Queens.