Santa Claus (politician)

American politician and Anglican monk

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

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 76)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyIndependent
ResidenceNorth Pole, Alaska
EducationNew York University (BA, MA)
Websitewww.santaclausforalaska.com

Personal life change

Claus 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 change

Claus 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. 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. 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.
  3. "City Council Home | City of Northpole Alaska". www.northpolealaska.com. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  4. Walling, Aaron. "Meet Santa Claus, city council member in North Pole, Alaska". Valley News.
  5. "Shoo-in: Man named Santa Claus wins 2nd term on North Pole City Council". Fox TV Stations. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  6. 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.
  7. "Alaska Division of Elections". www.elections.alaska.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  8. Kaplan, Sarah (October 16, 2015). "The strange story of a real-life Santa Claus, North Pole's newest city councilperson". Washington Post.
  9. "Santa Claus is coming … to Congress?". FOX 2. 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  10. "North Pole's Santa Claus speaks to News of the North". KINY. Archived from the original on 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  11. "Sarah Palin and Santa Claus file to run for Congress from Alaska". abc10. April 1, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  12. "Sarah Palin faces formidable opponent in Congress run: Santa Claus". the Guardian. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  13. "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.
  14. Durkee, Alison. "Sarah Palin Leads Alaska Congressional Primary, Poll Finds—Even Though 51% Of Voters Don't Like Her". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-29.