Trump critic George Conway takes steps to run for New York City congressional seat

WASHINGTON (AP) — George Conway, a former conservative lawyer who has become one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics, is taking steps toward a run for Congress in an open New York City seat.

Conway filed paperwork Monday to run as a Democrat in New York’s 12th Congressional District, though he has not made an official announcement and his campaign did not respond to a request for comment. If he enters the race, Conway would be the latest high-profile contender in an increasingly crowded primary to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler in the Manhattan-based district.

Conway initially supported Trump early in his first term. At the time, he was married to pollster and strategist Kellyanne Conway, who served as a senior presidential adviser in the White House.

George Conway later emerged as one of the president’s fiercest critics, condemning Trump’s actions on social media and cable news with an intensity that often mirrored his wife’s public defense of him.

Conway later helped found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. The Conways announced their divorce in early 2023.

John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg announced in November that he was seeking to succeed Nadler. Micah Lasher, a former Nadler aide and current New York state lawmaker, has also entered the Democratic primary.

The district stretches from Union Square to the northern edge of Central Park, encompassing the wealthy Upper East Side and Upper West Side.