Santa Claus (politician)
Santa Claus (born Thomas Patrick O'Connor; May 1947)[1] is an American politician, monk, and child welfare activist.[2] He was a member of the North Pole, Alaska City Council from 2015 to 2022.[3] Claus was re-elected to the council in 2019,[4] with 100 votes.[5] He was also the mayor pro tem.[6] He was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the 2022 special election.[7]
Santa Claus | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Claus in 2018 | |
| Member of the North Pole City Council | |
| In office October 2015 – October 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Patrick O'Connor May 1947 (age 77) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Independent |
| Residence | North Pole, Alaska |
| Education | New York University (BA, MA) |
| Website | www |
Personal life
changeClaus is a Christian monk of the Celtic Anglican order Anam Cara.[8]
He changed his name to match the legendary character in 2005, to help bring awareness for his activism about children's health and welfare.[9]
Claus has a stepson, but is not currently married.[2] He has confirmed that he has had multiple cancers, but has not shared any specific diagnoses.[2]
Politics
changeClaus is a supporter of democratic socialism, including support for medicare-for-all, coronavirus relief, a wealth tax, and student loan cancellation.[10]
Claus supported Joe Biden's presidential campaign in the 2020 election after Bernie Sanders dropped out of the Democratic primary.[1]
Claus is a supporter of medical marijuana.[2] He says that his views are similar to those of Bernie Sanders,[11] sharing the same views as Sanders on racial justice, corporate taxes, and election freedoms.[12]
In April 2022, Claus announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in the 2022 special election.[13] He wanted to finish the rest of Congressman Don Young's term, but after having a lot of support, he said he would run for a full two year term in November 2022. Claus was among 48 candidates running in the non-partisan June primary, including former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.[14] However, he lost in the June primary and did not advance to the run-off primary.
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Boots, Michelle Theriault (December 15, 2020). "In North Pole, Alaska, Santa Claus is a bastion of blue on a city council as red as Rudolph's nose". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Meet Santa Claus, North Pole politician and medical marijuana advocate". the Guardian. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ "City Council Home | City of Northpole Alaska". www.northpolealaska.com. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ Walling, Aaron. "Meet Santa Claus, city council member in North Pole, Alaska". Valley News.
- ↑ "Shoo-in: Man named Santa Claus wins 2nd term on North Pole City Council". Fox TV Stations. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ Robinson, Nathan J. (2022-04-24). "Santa Claus is Real and He's a Democratic Socialist". Current Affairs. ISSN 2471-2647. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ "Alaska Division of Elections". www.elections.alaska.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ Kaplan, Sarah (October 16, 2015). "The strange story of a real-life Santa Claus, North Pole's newest city councilperson". Washington Post.
- ↑ "Santa Claus is coming … to Congress?". FOX 2. 2022-04-22. Archived from the original on 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ "North Pole's Santa Claus speaks to News of the North". KINY. Archived from the original on 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ "Sarah Palin and Santa Claus file to run for Congress from Alaska". abc10. April 1, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ "Sarah Palin faces formidable opponent in Congress run: Santa Claus". the Guardian. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ "I'm happy to announce that I'm a Candidate in the Special Election for the U.S. House of Representatives for Alaska in 2022!". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ Durkee, Alison. "Sarah Palin Leads Alaska Congressional Primary, Poll Finds—Even Though 51% Of Voters Don't Like Her". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
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