Former Olympic champions in women’s skating have decided to enter the U.S. political arena.
Sarah Hughes, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist from Salt Lake City, has filed papers to run for New York’s 4th Congressional District seat. The district includes a part of Long Island. Hughes was born in Great Neck, New York. This is a district that borders the one currently held by Rep. George Santos. A spokesperson confirmed that she is expected to announce her candidacy “in the coming weeks”.
“I have always had hope for our future. I’ve been optimistic about our ability, in spite of adversity and difficulty, to work together and accomplish great things. Hughes’ campaign website said that Long Island is a wonderful place to raise a family and live.
The website continues: “All that’s required is for us to come together and do things differently.” “And I am here to be a part of the solution.”
The seat currently belongs to a Republican, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. He was elected in 2022. Democrats, however, believe that they have a great chance to win it back in the next election. D’Esposito – a retired officer – narrowly beat Democrat Laura Gillen in the 2020 election. President Joe Biden won by 15 points. Gillen announced that she will also run for the seat again in 2024.
Hughes, who is now 38 years old, has won as an underdog in the past. She won the women’s figure-skating gold medal at the 2002 Olympics when she was 16 years old. Michelle Kwan had entered the Olympics a heavy favourite. Hughes recalled later, “I rose quickly in the skating world.” I started skating at the age of three. “I spent my entire life on the ice but didn’t win the national championship until I was a junior in 1998.”
Below you can see her near-perfect performance in the ladies free skate. This is one of the most difficult performances in Olympic History.
Hughes, who retired from ice skating in 1997, earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Yale. She then went on to obtain a Law degree at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked for Proskauer Rose in New York City, a renowned international law firm. She is currently pursuing an MBA at Stanford.
Jay Jacobs, state chairman of New York Democratic Party, and Democratic leader in Nassau County claimed that Hughes would be “a very strong candidate.” Hughes’ political goals, according to his campaign website, include the regulation of “assault weaponry” and the restoration of SALT deductions that help high-income earners in states with high taxes like New York.
