Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes is vying for a seat in Congress.
In Salt Lake City in 2002, the former figure skater earned the gold medal. She now wishes to serve as the 4th Congressional District representative for New York.
Hughes hasn’t officially begun her campaign yet. However, according to City & State New York, she submitted her paperwork to run for Congress in Long Island on Monday. Newsday received confirmation of her candidacy from her campaign spokesman Max Kramer, as monitored by Ghent Multimedia.
“Born and raised on Long Island, Sarah is concerned about where we’re headed, whether it’s rising prices, public safety and gun violence, or threats to women’s health,” Kramer’s statement reads. “She’s putting the pieces into place to make an announcement in the next few weeks.”
Hughes, 38, unexpectedly won the gold medal at the Salt Lake Games with a stunning free skate. She finished the short program in fourth position before passing fellow American Michelle Kwan, who took home the bronze, and Russian Irina Slutskaya for the silver. Aged 16, she was. Since then, no American has achieved gold in women’s singles.
Hughes attended Yale for her undergraduate studies and Penn for his law degree after giving up Olympic sports. She has experience working as an associate at a New York legal firm and is presently enrolled at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, according to her LinkedIn profile.
As a Democrat, Hughes plans to run. She will run against Republican Representative Anthony D’Esposito for the position. Hughes’ hometown of Great Neck, which is located in the George Santos-represented 3rd Congressional District of New York, is close to the 4th District. After he was charged last week with federal counts of fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds, his seat will be fiercely contested.
Hughes is looking for a home in the 4th District right now, according to Kramer, who spoke to Newsday. She will compete in the Democratic primary against a number of opponents hoping to unseat D’Esposito.
