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Chris Gallant Sells Bondage Photos as Campaign Gear

'Make Politics Sexy Again': Congressional Candidate Chris Gallant Turns Old Bondage Photos Into Campaign Merch Chris Gallant, a Democrat challenging Republican Nick LaLota in eastern Long Island, has embraced a controversy over explicit 2010 photographs, launching merchandise and raising more money.

By Aarav MehtaPublished 3 Min Read
Chris Gallant Sells Bondage Photos as Campaign Gear
Chris Gallant Sells Bondage Photos as Campaign Gear
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{ "articleTitle": "Chris Gallant Sells Bondage Photos as Campaign Gear", "articleDescription": "New York congressional candidate Chris Gallant launched 'Make Politics Sexy Again' merchandise using resurfaced 2010 BDSM photographs, a move that helped him outraise opponent Nick LaLota for the first time.", "articleBody": "

Campaign Merchandise and Fundraising Surge

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New York congressional candidate Chris Gallant has launched \"Make Politics Sexy Again\" campaign merchandise featuring resurfaced BDSM modeling photographs from his past, according to IBT Times UK. The 37-year-old Democrat is challenging Republican Representative Nick LaLota in New York's 1st Congressional District.

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In the latest filing period, Gallant outraised LaLota for the first time, a shift attributed in part to the merchandise sales following the publication of the images, according to IBT Times UK. The photos were originally taken for San Francisco fetish retailer Mr. S Leather in 2010 and published by the New York Post in September, according to the New York Post and New York magazine. Some images were sexually explicit, while others showed Gallant in a harness and collar.

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Gallant’s lawyer stated the shoot was consensual. Gallant claimed he asked the retailer to remove the images before he ran for office, which they did, though copies remained available online via web archives, according to Newsweek and Queerty.

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Candidate Response and Political Context

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Gallant described the leak as a \"coordinated political hit\" designed to push him out of the race and called the episode his \"Kim Kardashian moment,\" according to Queerty. He told New York magazine that his campaign team advised him to drop out of the race but he refused.

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\"I'm totally unashamed of it. It's who I am,\" Gallant said, according to New York magazine. He stated he did not run because he is gay but on issues, and his website mentioned a fiancé named Mike, though he did not campaign on his sexuality until mid-September, according to New York magazine.

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Gallant launched his campaign in August 2025 as a centrist. He is a Black Hawk pilot who joined the National Guard at 17, flew during two deployments to Kuwait, worked as an FAA air traffic controller at JFK airport for five years, and volunteers as a firefighter, according to Newsweek. Gallant won the Democratic primary in June against a progressive candidate; the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee labeled the race \"in play,\" according to New York magazine.

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Reactions from Opponents and Voters

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The Daily Show joked about Gallant, while a Breitbart pundit wrote that most Americans are \"creeped out\" by the photos, according to Queerty. LaLota had not commented on the photographs at the time of New York magazine's reporting.

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Renee McKeon, a three-time Trump voter, told the New York Times and Queerty that voters have social media histories and seemed unmoved by the controversy. Gallant’s campaign manager told New York magazine that voters rarely raise the subject of the photos, suggesting