It is a weird time to be George Conway. Honestly, it's always kind of been a weird time to be George Conway. Imagine spending years at the pinnacle of conservative legal circles—the kind of guy who argued (and won) cases at the Supreme Court—only to become a household name because you were tweeting insults at your wife's boss from the next room. That was the reality for a long time.
But if you are asking who is George Conway today, in early 2026, the answer has shifted dramatically. He isn't just a "Never Trump" pundit anymore. On January 6, 2026, Conway officially pivoted from being a professional critic to a political candidate. He’s running for Congress as a Democrat.
He wants to represent New York’s 12th District, the seat being vacated by the retiring Jerry Nadler. It’s a bold, almost cinematic move for a man who spent decades as a card-carrying Republican.
From Wachtell Lipton to the Resistance
People often forget that before the "Resistance" hashtags, Conway was a legal titan. He wasn’t a TV personality; he was a high-stakes litigator at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. That’s one of the most profitable, prestigious law firms in the world. He was making millions. He was the guy who helped write the Supreme Court brief for Paula Jones in her lawsuit against Bill Clinton. He was deep in the conservative Federalist Society world.
Then came 2016.
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His wife, Kellyanne Conway, became the first woman to manage a winning presidential campaign. George was initially on board. He was even considered for top jobs at the Department of Justice, like Solicitor General. But things soured fast. He famously called the administration a "shitshow in a dumpster fire."
By 2019, he was co-founding The Lincoln Project, a super PAC dedicated to taking down Donald Trump using the same aggressive, bare-knuckle tactics Republicans usually reserve for Democrats.
The Divorce That Everyone Watched
You can't talk about George without talking about Kellyanne. Their marriage became a national obsession, a sort of Rorschach test for the country's political divide. Could love survive if one person was defending the President on TV while the other was calling him a "psychopath" on X (formerly Twitter)?
The answer, as it turns out, was no.
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In March 2023, the couple announced they were divorcing after 22 years of marriage. Kellyanne later wrote in her memoir about George’s "cheating by tweeting." It was a mess. But in a strange way, the end of the marriage seemed to free George up. He stopped being "Kellyanne’s husband" and started being a full-time activist.
The 2026 Congressional Run: Why Manhattan?
So, why is George Conway running for Congress now? And why as a Democrat?
The district he’s eyeing—NY-12—is essentially the Upper East Side and Upper West Side. It’s "tony" Manhattan. It’s also arguably the most Democratic district in the country. For a guy who was a Republican just a few years ago, it’s a steep climb.
- The "No Kings" Movement: Throughout 2025, Conway was a major force behind the "No Kings" protests, which pushed back against what he calls "strongman politics."
- The Funding: He isn't just talking. In 2024, he donated nearly $1 million to the Biden Victory Fund. He's putting his money where his mouth is.
- The Primary: The race for Nadler’s seat is crowded. He’s up against people like Jack Schlossberg (JFK’s grandson) and seasoned local lawmakers like Micah Lasher.
Conway’s pitch is simple: I know how these people think, and I know how to beat them in court and in the halls of power. He’s positioning himself not as a career politician, but as a "seasoned Trump foe" who can use his legal expertise to protect the Constitution.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Him
A lot of people think George Conway changed his values. If you listen to him speak—like at his recent lecture at Town Hall Seattle—he argues the opposite. He claims he stayed the same while the Republican Party left him.
He still views himself as a rule-of-law guy. He just thinks the current GOP has abandoned that concept. Whether or not Democratic voters in Manhattan will buy that a former Federalist Society member is now one of them is the $64,000 question.
Why He Still Matters
George Conway is a bellwether. He represents a specific, highly educated segment of the old-school GOP that has completely broken away. His success or failure in the 2026 primary will tell us a lot about the future of the Democratic Party. Is there room for a "Lincoln Project Democrat," or is the brand too toxic for the base?
Actionable Insights for Following the Race
If you're following the NY-12 primary or just keeping tabs on who is George Conway, keep an eye on these specific metrics over the next few months:
- Fundraising Totals: Conway has a massive national donor network from his Lincoln Project days. If he outpaces local candidates in small-dollar donations, he’s a threat.
- Endorsements: Watch if established Democrats like Jamie Raskin (who Conway has praised) officially back him. That would give him instant "progressive" street cred.
- The "Carpetbagger" Narrative: He recently moved back to Manhattan from Maryland. His opponents will hammer him on this. How he handles the "you’re not a real New Yorker" attacks will define his campaign.
Conway’s journey from a Republican law partner to a Democratic Congressional candidate is one of the most improbable arcs in modern American politics. He’s no longer just a guy with a Twitter account and a famous wife; he’s a man trying to prove that he can actually lead the movement he helped create.