George Santos, the first-term Republican representative from New York, may go down as the most famous fabulist in the history of Congress. In the run-up to his election last year from a district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, he claimed to be a successful businessman, a college volleyball star, and the Jewish son of a 9/11 victim—all of which turned out to be false. But there was one particular Santos lie I keep returning to because the story he told about himself tells a larger story about electoral politics: He ran for office as a landlord and a homeowner—but the real George Santos was a renter.