Leandro Santoro

{{short description|Argentine politician (born 1976)}}

{{use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Leandro Santoro

|image = Santoro54372.jpg

|caption = Official portrait, 2023

|imagesize =

|order =

|office = National Deputy

|term_start = 10 December 2021

|term_end =

|constituency = City of Buenos Aires

|office1 = Legislator of the City of Buenos Aires

|term_start1 = 10 December 2017

|term_end1 = 10 December 2021

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|6|11|df=y}}

|birth_place = Buenos Aires, Argentina

|profession =

|party = Radical Civic Union {{small|(1990–2015)}}
National Alfonsinist Movement {{small|(2015–present)}}

|otherparty = Front for Victory {{small|(2015–2017)}}
Unidad Ciudadana {{small|(2017–2019)}}
Frente de Todos {{small|(2019–present)}}

|alma_mater = University of Buenos Aires

|website = [https://www.leandrosantoro.com/ www.leandrosantoro.com]

}}

Leandro Santoro (born 11 June 1977) is an Argentine political scientist, professor and politician, currently serving as a National Deputy since 2021. Santoro previously served as a member of the Buenos Aires City Legislature from 2017 to 2021. He is member of the centre-left political coalition Union for the Homeland.

Though his political career began in the Radical Civic Union (UCR), since 2015 Santoro has been aligned with the National Alfonsinist Movement, a faction of the UCR that broke away with the party and backed the Front for Victory.

Early life and career

Santoro was born on 11 June 1976 in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Boedo. He was raised by a single mother and attended the Colegio Salesiano San Francisco de Sales, a Catholic boys' school. Starting at age 13, he joined the Radical Civic Union (UCR) inspired by his admiration of then-president Raúl Alfonsín. In time, Santoro would become a leader in the {{ill|Juventud Radical|es|Juventud Radical de Argentina}}, the UCR's youth wing.{{cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/politica/2021/10/31/vida-y-politica-de-leandro-santoro-del-nino-que-sonaba-ser-como-alfonsin-al-test-que-le-dijo-que-era-kirchnerista/|work=Infobae|title=Vida y política de Leandro Santoro: del niño que soñaba ser como Alfonsín al test que le dijo que era kirchnerista|date=31 October 2021|access-date=14 December 2021|last=Soriano|first=Fernando|language=es}}

In 1999, Santoro and other members of his local UCR committee camped outside the Hospital Italiano, where Alfonsín had been hospitalised following a potentially lethal accident, for 40 days. The event helped forge a deeper connection between Alfonsín and Santoro. He formed part of Los Irrompibles, an alfonsinist group within the UCR founded by Jesús Rodríguez.{{cite web|url=https://www.cronista.com/elecciones2015/Quien-es-Leandro-Santoro-el-hiperalfonsinista-candidato-a-vice-de-Recalde-20150507-0104.html|work=El Cronista|title=Quién es Leandro Santoro, el hiperalfonsinista candidato a vice de Recalde|date=7 May 2015|access-date=14 December 2021|language=es}}

Santoro studied political science at the University of Buenos Aires, and later taught courses at the university's UBA XXI programme.{{cite web|url=https://www.cronica.com.ar/politica/Quien-es-Leandro-Santoro-el-precandidato-por-el-Frente-de-Todos-en-la-Ciudad-que-se-alejo-de-la-UCR-tras-la-muerte-de-Raul-Alfonsin--20210724-0083.html|work=Crónica|title=¿Quién es Leandro Santoro?: el precandidato por el Frente de Todos en la Ciudad que se alejó de la UCR tras la muerte de Raúl Alfonsín|date=24 July 2021|access-date=14 December 2021|language=es}}

Political career

Following Alfonsín's death in 2009, Santoro and other alfonsinists started getting closer to the Front for Victory, which then supported the government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. In 2014, upon Fernández de Kirchner's invitation, he formed part of the state delegation that visited Pope Francis in the Vatican.{{cite web|url=https://www.perfil.com/noticias/politica/exclusivo-como-vivio-el-radical-santoro-el-encuentro-con-el-papa-20140920-0053.phtml|work=Perfil|title=Exclusivo: cómo vivió el radical Santoro el encuentro con el Papa|date=20 September 2014|access-date=14 December 2021|language=es}} In 2015, he joined Leopoldo Moreau in breaking away from the UCR and founding the pro-Kirchner National Alfonsinist Movement. That year, he was Mariano Recalde's running mate for Chief of Government of Buenos Aires in the Front for Victory list: the ticket received 21.91% of the vote and landed third.{{cite web|url=https://www.a24.com/politica/quien-es-leandro-santoro-el-radical-k-que-eligio-alberto-fernandez-representar-al-gobierno-caba-n848893|work=A24|title=Quién es Leandro Santoro, el radical K que eligió Alberto Fernández para representar al Gobierno en CABA|date=7 December 2021|access-date=14 December 2021|language=es}}

In 2017, Santoro was elected to the Buenos Aires City Legislature as the fourth candidate in the Unidad Porteña list, which received 21.26% of the vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.clarin.com/politica/lista-unidad-portena-daniel-filmus-candidatos-diputados-buenos-aires_0_BySabo0nW.html|work=Clarín|title=Lista de Unidad Porteña: Daniel Filmus y candidatos a diputados por Buenos Aires|date=19 October 2017|access-date=14 December 2021|language=es}} Following the 2019 general election, he joined the Frente de Todos and sat in the unified FdT bloc in the Legislature.

In the 2021 legislative election, Santoro ran for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies as the first candidate in the Frente de Todos list in Buenos Aires. With 25.06% of the vote, the FDT was the second-most voted alliance in the city, enough for Santoro to make it past the D'Hondt cut and be elected, alongside Gisela Marziotta and Carlos Heller.{{cite web|url=https://www.iprofesional.com/politica/302663-resultados-elecciones-2019-quienes-ganaron-banca-en-diputados-y-quienes-se-van|work=iProfesional|title=Uno por uno: ¿Quiénes entran al Congreso de la Nación y quiénes perdieron la banca?|date=28 October 2019|access-date=4 August 2021|language=es}} He was sworn in on 4 December 2021, and began his mandate on 10 December 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.ambito.com/politica/diputados/todas-las-fotos-la-jura-los-nuevos-n5331222|work=Ámbito|title=Todas las fotos de la jura de los nuevos diputados|date=7 December 2021|language=es}}

Personal life

Santoro was married to Cecilia Moreau, a fellow politician and daughter of the prominent political leader (and Santoro's former political mentor) Leopoldo Moreau. Santoro and Moreau have a daughter together, Francisca.{{cite web|url=http://www.quieroamipais.org/notix/desarrollo/12314_la_mujer_del_vice_de_recalde_apoya_a_lousteau-2.htm|work=Quiero a mi País|title=La mujer del vice de Recalde apoya a Lousteau|date=11 May 2015|access-date=14 December 2021|language=es}} Since 2021, Santoro has sat in the Chamber of Deputies alongside both Moreaus.

Santoro has since married a childhood friend, pharmacist Clara González Sorey with whom he has a daughter, Antonia.

Sports-wise, he is a supporter of the local Boedo-based San Lorenzo de Almagro.{{cite web|url=https://www.iprofesional.com/politica/341813-quien-es-leandro-santoro-la-apuesta-kirchnerista-en-la-ciudad|work=iProfesional|title=Quién es Leandro Santoro, el amigo de Alberto Fernández que quiere encabezar la lista del Frente de Todos en la Ciudad|date=22 June 2021|access-date=14 December 2021|language=es}}

Electoral history

=Executive=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"

|+ {{sronly|Electoral history of Leandro Santoro}}

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Election

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Office

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=2 rowspan=2 | List

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=3 | Votes

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Result

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | {{abbr|2=Reference|Ref}}.

style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | Total

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | %

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}.

style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2015

| Deputy Chief of Government of Buenos Aires

| style="background-color:{{party color|Front for Victory}};"|

| Front for Victory

| 400,522

| 21.91%

| 3rd

| {{no2|Not elected}}

| {{Cite web|title=Elecciones 2015|url=https://www.eleccionesciudad.gob.ar/resultados/historico|website=eleccionesciudad.gob.ar|publisher=Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires|access-date=4 February 2023|language=es}}

style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2023

| Chief of Government of Buenos Aires

| style="background-color:{{party color|Union for the Homeland}};"|

| Union for the Homeland

| 581,450

| 32.27%

| 2nd

| {{no2|Not elected}}

| {{Cite web|title=Elecciones 2023|url=https://www.eleccionesciudad.gob.ar/resultados/historico|website=eleccionesciudad.gob.ar|publisher=Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires|access-date=27 December 2023|language=es}}

=Legislative=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"

|+ {{sronly|Electoral history of Leandro Santoro}}

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Election

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Office

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=2 rowspan=2 | List

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | {{abbr|2=List number|#}}

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | District

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=3 | Votes

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Result

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | {{abbr|2=Reference|Ref}}.

style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | Total

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | %

! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}.

style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2017

| City Legislator

| style="background-color:{{party color|Justicialist Party}};"|

| Unidad Porteña

| 4

| City of Buenos Aires

| 408,462

| 21.26%

| 2nd{{efn|name=fn1|Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.}}

| {{yes2|Elected}}

| {{Cite web|title=Elecciones 2017|url=https://documentosboletinoficial.buenosaires.gob.ar/publico/PJ-ACELEC-TSJCBA-TSJ-11-17-ANX.pdf|website=tsjbaires.gov.ar|publisher=Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires|access-date=4 February 2023|language=es}}

style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2021

| National Deputy

| style="background-color:{{party color|Frente de Todos}};"|

| Frente de Todos

| 1

| City of Buenos Aires

| 461,514

| 25.06%

| 2nd{{efn|name=fn1}}

| {{yes2|Elected}}

| {{Cite web|title=Elecciones 2021|url=https://www.argentina.gob.ar/interior/dine/resultadosyestadisticas/2021|website=argentina.gob.ar|publisher=Dirección Nacional Electoral|access-date=4 February 2023|language=es}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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References

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