Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes throws name into race for NY congressional seat
Sarah Hughes is seeking to unseat New York's 4th Congressional District Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, a Republican
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York resident and figure skating gold medalist Sarah Hughes has filed to campaign for Congress, with hopes of unseating current Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) of Long Island.
The 38-year-old Hughes plans to formally announce her campaign for New York’s 4th Congressional District "in the next few weeks," spokesman Max Kramer said Tuesday.
Sarah Hughes is joining several other Democrats seeking to unseat Long Island Republican Anthony Esposito for the 4th Congressional seat. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
"I’ve always been hopeful about our future; about our ability to come together and achieve great things in the face of difficulty and adversity," Hughes said on her campaign website. "Long Island can be a great place to live and raise a family."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She highlights concerns like the rising cost of living and keeping assault weapons off the streets, adding that "all it takes is us coming together and doing things differently."
Representatives for Hughes did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on her announcement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sarah Hughes receives the gold medal as bronze medalist Michelle Kwan looks on after competing in the women’s free skating program at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City on Feb. 21, 2002. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)
During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Hughes soared from fourth place to win a gold medal in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic figure skating history.
NY ELECTION RESULTS: REPUBLICANS WIN TWO MORE HOUSE SEATS
Hughes, who was 16 at the time, gave the performance of her life, scoring her upset win over teammate Michelle Kwan. Kwan dropped to bronze after making two major mistakes, while Russia’s Irina Slutskaya wound up with a silver medal.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hughes later attended Yale, where she earned her undergraduate degree, then the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a law degree.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y. (D'Esposito for Congress via AP)
After graduating, she spent three years working as an associate at the Manhattan-based law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, and is now working on her MBA at Stanford University.
GOP HOUSE CANDIDATES WIN SEVERAL NEW YORK CITY SUBURB RACES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hughes currently lives in Manhattan and is reportedly looking for a home in the congressional district, located in southern and central Nassau County on Long Island.
She grew up in the adjoining district represented by Republican George Santos, who, along with D’Esposito, flipped congressional seats held by Democrats in 2022.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hughes joins a growing list of candidates who have filed to run as Democrats seeking to recapture the 4th congressional seat, including former Hempstead town supervisor Laura Gillen, who lost to D’Esposito in 2022; Patricia Maher, who lost to Rep. Peter King in the 2nd District in 2024; and Lawrence Patrick Henry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.