Here's the Reason Why George Conway Decided to Switch Political Parties

Voters are wondering why former Republican George Conway decided to switch political parties. The former husband of Donald Trump's ex-political advisor, Kellyanne Conway, is running for Congress as a Democrat in New York City.

According to the Associated Press, George is running for a U.S. House seat, and he is hoping to see if his social media following will help his bid for the Democratic primary. The former attorney has more than 52,000 followers on Instagram and more than two million followers on X. So, why did he switch political parties?

The Congressional candidate has long been a critic of Trump's and divorced the president's political advisor in 2023. According to the former attorney, he is running for Congress to fight our "demented, criminal president." George announced his run on X on Jan. 6, 2025, along with a video showing Trump's draconian immigration raids and George speaking out against his policies.

"I’m running for Congress in NY-12, my home," reads the caption. "We have a demented, criminal president running the country like a mob operation — government by the boss, for the boss. We need Democratic fighters who will defend the rule of law and deliver government by the people. Join us."

George was an attorney in New York City before he moved to Bethesda, Maryland, but recently moved back to Manhattan to run for office. “It was like, huh, it’s an open seat," he said of learning there would be an open seat after Rep. Jerry Nadler retired. "This isn’t crazy. I should think about this."

The Congressional candidate announced his bid on the anniversary of Trump inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building in 2020, and he compared Trump to "a mob boss."

"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," he said, per NBC News. "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."

George also shared a video on Instagram on Oct. 13 to protest against Trump and his "authoritarian" presidency and promote the No Kings non-violent movement. The video features disturbing videos of ICE violently detaining residents.

"On Oct. 18, millions of brave Americans will stand up and peacefully protest against the authoritarian disease metastasizing under Donald Trump," reads the caption. "No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings."

The politician told ABC News that "the survival of our democracy" is at stake.

"The stakes have never been higher," he said. "What's at issue is the survival of our democracy, the survival of rule of law, the survival of constitutional government. ... we need a Democratic Congress and a majority in that Democratic Congress that's laser-focused on the threats to the rule of law."

George is also a co-founder of the anti-Trump movement, the Lincoln Project.