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Chris Gallant Says ‘I’m in This to Win’ After Past Bondage Photos Surface in NY-1 Race
Democratic nominee says he won’t be “shamed into silence” as years-old photos become the latest flashpoint in his race against Rep. Nick LaLota
Democratic congressional candidate Chris Gallant has confirmed that explicit photographs showing him modeling bondage and fetish gear more than a decade ago are authentic, as the images become the latest flashpoint in his race to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota in New York’s 1st Congressional District.
Gallant, 37, an openly gay Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter pilot, former Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller, union leader and volunteer firefighter, is the Democratic nominee challenging LaLota in the Nov. 3 election.
The years-old photographs show Gallant modeling leather collars, harnesses and other bondage and fetish gear for Mr. S Leather, a San Francisco retailer. The photo session, which Gallant’s attorney said involved his then-partner, also included sexually explicit images.
Confirming the Photographs Are Authentic
Gallant’s attorney, Sara Azari, confirmed the photographs are authentic and said they were taken around 2010, when Gallant was about 21, during a private photo session with his then-partner of four years.
“The photographs are authentic and were taken during a private, consensual photo session involving Chris and his then-partner, with whom he was in a committed four-year relationship,” Azari said in a statement.
Azari said Gallant was friends with the owner of Mr. S Leather and that the shoot was “intended to be fun and personal,” with the understanding that the company could use selected images in connection with certain products.
Gallant addressed the photographs in a text message to campaign supporters Monday.
“Yeah, that’s me,” he wrote.
“I’m not embarrassed or ashamed — I have always been unapologetically me,” Gallant continued, adding that the photos “don’t make me less qualified to pilot a Blackhawk helicopter” and “don’t affect my ability to safely traffic commercial airliners.”
Gallant Issues A Statement
On Tuesday, Gallant issued a longer statement through his campaign, characterizing the release of the photographs as politically motivated and saying he would remain in the race.
“Let’s be clear about what this is: a coordinated political hit meant to drive me out of this race,” Gallant said. “This represents everything that is wrong with our politics today — the establishment clinging to power, mudslinging as a means of skirting accountability at the ballot box.”
“I’m proud of who I am. I won’t be shamed into silence — and I won’t allow my private life to be distorted and weaponized against me.”
“I wasn’t scared flying Black Hawk helicopters over the desert in the Middle East,” Gallant said. “And I sure as hell won’t let some pictures from my past scare me out of this race.”
“So hear me when I say this: I’m in this to win. I’ve never been one to back down — and I’m not backing down now.” – Chris Gallant
Different reactions
Different reactionsThe Suffolk County Conservative Party posted one of the photographs Sunday showing Gallant wearing a leather chest harness.
“This is the Democratic congressional candidate for CD1,” the party wrote on Facebook. “Is this who you want to represent us in Washington DC?”
The Suffolk County Democratic Committee has publicly stood behind Gallant.
Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chairman Rich Schaffer said Gallant “was always open and honest about who he is to both the committee and the voters of Suffolk County, and I have not seen any photos that would change that opinion.”
Kathryn Casey Quigley, who is running to succeed Schaffer as committee chair, also said the photographs should have no bearing on Gallant’s candidacy.
“They’re his private life,” Quigley said, “and what matters are the policies he will advocate for and how he’ll fight to make life more affordable and fair for Suffolk County residents.”
The race for NY-1
Gallant won the Democratic nomination in June and now faces LaLota, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Navy veteran who has represented New York’s 1st Congressional District since January 2023.
For East End voters, New York’s 1st Congressional District includes the towns Preview (opens in a new tab)of East Hampton, Southampton, Riverhead, Southold and Shelter Island, encompassing the Hamptons and the North Fork. The district also includes Smithtown, most of Huntington and the northern portion of Brookhaven.
