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By Joshua Rhett Miller and Aliss Higham
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New York Democratic congressional candidate Chris Gallant has vowed to remain in his race after images from a BDSM-themed photo shoot surfaced online, calling their release a "coordinated political hit" intended to force him out.
"Let's be clear about what this is: a coordinated political hit meant to drive me out of this race," Gallant wrote on X on Tuesday. "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."
Gallant added that he was proud of who he was and would not be "shamed into silence" or allow his private life to be "distorted and weaponized" against him.
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The 37-year-old Democrat—who is challenging Republican Representative Nick LaLota in New York’s First Congressional District—issued the response after photographs showed him wearing outfits associated with San Francisco-based fetish retailer Mr. S Leather.
"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," Gallant's attorney, Sara Azari, told Newsweek in a statement.
"Chris was also friends with the owner of Mr. S Leather, and the shoot was intended to be fun and personal, with the understanding that Mr. S could use select images in connection with certain products. That limited understanding was never intended to authorize unrestricted publication, distribution, or use by third parties."
Azari said Gallant later asked for the photographs to be removed from the company's website after he began considering a career in public service.
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Photographs obtained by the New York Post depicted Gallant wearing collars, leather straps and bondage gear. The images were no longer available on the store's site as of Monday, but internet archives indicated they had been online between 2011 and 2020, the site reported.
The outlet also published a photo of Gallant wearing only his underwear while working as a bartender during the Invasion of the Pines annual event on Fire Island in 2007. The congressional district that Gallant is running to represent contains part of Fire Island.
"The venue regularly hosted themed and promotional events, and the image depicts Chris working during one such event," Azari's statement continued.
"It reflects nothing more than the setting and circumstances of his employment. Presenting these images without their full context appears calculated to invite false and misleading assumptions about Chris's private life. He will not allow photographs from a past relationship or employment to be distorted and weaponized for political purposes or used to distract voters from the issues that matter."
Azari said the images "have no bearing" on Gallant's record as he tries to unseat Representative Nick LaLota, a Republican from Long Island.
Gallant "remains fully committed to his campaign and to earning the trust of the people he seeks to represent," Azari said.
Newsweek reached out to LaLota's team for comment on Monday.
Gallant will need to overcome long odds to defeat LaLota, who has a 70 percent chance of being reelected as of Monday, according to Kalshi data.
Gallant, who joined the New York Army National Guard at age 17, has been deployed several times to Kuwait and previously worked as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration and a volunteer firefighter, according to his campaign website.
"For years, I made split-second decisions to keep people safe," his site reads. "Now I'm stepping up to bring that same focused, steady leadership to Congress."
Polling data released in January showed LaLota as vulnerable heading into November's election, as just 32 percent of constituents said they approved of his job performance, compared to 35 percent who disapproved and 33 percent who weren't sure.
President Donald Trump could also drag LaLota down in the district, as 50 percent of voters said they disapproved of his job performance, according to House Majority PAC polling released in January.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.
Update 9/16/26 3 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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