George Conway, the longtime conservative lawyer who became a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, is officially launching a Democratic campaign for Congress in Manhattan on Tuesday, the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In an interview, Conway framed his campaign for New York’s 12th District squarely around Trump, calling for his impeachment and for the U.S. to undertake a "modern legal reconstruction" to "make sure this never happens again."
"We’re at a crossroads in our country, and Donald Trump is the greatest threat to the Constitution and the rule of law and democratic government that we have ever seen in our lifetime," said Conway, 62. "And I want to fight that. He’s a criminal. He defies the law. He thinks he’s the law, and that’s not just an abstraction about the rule of law. He’s hurting people in this country and in my district by using his power to enrich himself instead of using it for the good of the people. He’s running the country like a mob boss."
"We need fighters in that Democratic Congress," Conway added. "We need people who are willing to call Trump out for what he is and not mince words about it."
Conway is jumping into a deeply contested House primary to succeed Democrat Jerry Nadler in the predominantly Democratic district. More than a half-dozen candidates have already declared, including Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg, gun safety activist Cameron Kasky and state lawmakers Micah Lasher and Alex Bores.
At a moment when some rank-and-file Democrats have pushed for the party to embrace younger candidates and fresh voices, Conway said he is best positioned to win the contest — and occupy a safe Democratic seat in the years to come — as someone who has already shown his ability to go toe-to-toe with Trump.
"We need people who are going to fight to save our democracy," Conway said. "If we don’t win this fight, we are done as a country. And that requires proven fighters, proven people who have shown the ability and the wherewithal to stand up to Trump. And it needs and it requires legal skill."
"I’m not doing this because I want a career in politics. I am 62 years old," Conway continued, citing what he called "unique qualifications." "I’m not doing this for very long. I can’t do it for very long."
Conway has only recently returned to the district, a point that many of his opponents were quick to highlight since he filed paperwork to join the race late last month.
"This campaign welcomes George to the race. And the city. And the party," Bores said in a statement, noting Conway’s longtime Republican affiliation. "I personally would be delighted to offer George local dining tips. Tell him to give me a call when he’s in town."
Alan Pardee, a former Merrill Lynch managing director running in the Democratic primary, gave a statement drawing a distinction between the work he has done in the district and Conway’s "years living in D.C. advancing a conservative agenda before discovering the monster he helped create."
Candidate Jami Floyd, a journalist and former White House fellow in the Clinton administration, said in a statement, "I’m not concerned about George Conway," adding: "George Conway is a life-long conservative Republican and not even from here. So why isn’t he running in Bethesda, Maryland, or Alpine, New Jersey, where he belongs?"
Addressing the criticism, Conway said the district has "been the epicenter of my life," adding that he "spent my entire legal career working in this district."
"I lived in this district for decades before moving out to the suburbs," he said. "All four of my kids were born in this district, and my life is centered around this district."
Records show Conway previously had addresses in the district for years, though he more recently lived in Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
"It’s home to me," he said. "And I’m coming back."
Conway built up his career working on prominent conservative legal cases, including Paula Jones’ lawsuit against President Bill Clinton. Conway supported Trump early in his first term, as his then-wife, Kellyanne Conway, was a White House counselor after having been Trump’s campaign manager.
But, increasingly, he took to social media to express his displeasure with Trump, which also created headlines about a potential rift with his wife, given her role. The Conways were divorced in 2023.
Conway and other anti-Trump Republicans co-founded the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, which he has since left. More recently, he hosted a podcast with The Bulwark.
Conway told NBC News he thinks there are "a lot of Democrats who I greatly admire who are willing to fight Trump."
"They’re the Jamie Raskins, the Chris Murphys and the Jasmine Crocketts," Conway said of the congressman from Maryland, the senator from Connecticut and the congresswoman from Texas. "So many of them understand the moment and understand their constitutional obligations, and I want to stand with them in Congress."
Speaking after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave his inaugural address, Conway said he wishes the new mayor success. But he has his concerns.
"The issues that got him elected, which he articulated very well, are perennial issues in New York," he said, adding: "I’m kind of concerned about some of the language that he’s used in the past about Israel and these executive orders that I just read about this morning. His focus really has to be on bringing people together, not sending the wrong message to individual groups of people — bringing people together and working with everyone in a very, incredibly diverse city to make it a better place to live."
Laura Dunn, a civil rights attorney who is running for the congressional seat, said Mamdani’s election signaled a sea change in the New York City electorate — one that she does not believe will be favorable to Conway in 2026.
"Being a Trump critic is hardly a unique qualification — I believe everyone running in this race shares that credential, even if less prominently so than he does," she said, adding: "New Yorkers need fresh leadership that will stand the test of time after this Trump era passes. I am not running on a single issue; I am running on every issue that is crippling the American dream."
Conway does not believe that focusing squarely on Trump is out of step with this moment.
"You have to take a step back and look at where we are in history and where this man is taking us and look at the history of ... other countries to realize that we cannot survive as a democracy," he said. "We cannot survive and have representative government that is working to better the lives of the people until we put an end to Trumpism, and I think more and more people are coming to realize that, and I think that’s why it’s a priority."
