George Conway files paperwork to run for Congress as a Democrat

George Conway, the former conservative lawyer turned ardent critic of President Donald Trump, has filed paperwork to run for Congress in New York City as a Democrat, a source close to Conway confirmed.

While he hasn't formally launched a congressional bid or commented on it publicly, new paperwork filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission shows that Conway plans to run in the crowded primary for the 12th Congressional District. Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who currently represents the district, isn't seeking re-election.

“George is a seasoned fighter against Trump and Trumpism, and he’s considering taking that fight to Congress. Today, he filed paperwork that is a prerequisite to run. He will have more to say in the new year after the holidays,” the source close to Conway said.

The glut of candidates in that Democratic primary, in one of the bluest districts in the country, includes: former Merrill Lynch managing director Alan Pardee, Kennedy family scion and liberal online commentator Jack Schlossberg, state Assemblymen Micah Lasher and Alex Bores, gun safety activist Cameron Kasky and Jami Floyd, a journalist and former White House fellow in the Clinton administration.

Potential candidates have to file paperwork with the FEC if they meet certain campaign fundraising or organizing benchmarks, although they do not necessarily have to follow through with a bid.

Last week, during an episode of Conway's podcast on The Bulwark, Conway announced he was leaving the show to do "either the stupidest thing I've ever done, or the best thing."

Conway's decision to run for Congress as a Democrat underscores his drift away from the Republican Party. During his career's first chapter, Conway worked on prominent conservative legal cases, including Paula Jones' lawsuit against then-President Bill Clinton. He was reportedly considered for a job in Trump's first administration. His wife at the time, Kellyanne Conway, was Trump's campaign manager in 2016 and later a top White House adviser.

But he began to break with Trump quickly during his first term, fighting with the president on social media in spats that created awkward headlines given his wife's role in the first Trump administration. Conway and other anti-Trump Republicans started the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, which he's since left while still remaining a prominent anti-Trump voice in the media.

He and Kellyanne Conway divorced in 2023.