Melrose Place star Antonio Sabato Jr. running for Congress
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Actor and model Antonio Sabato Jr. is running for Congress in California's 26th congressional district, and his team argues that he has a not-so-secret weapon that will guarantee a win: the support of President Trump.
Documents were filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday so Sabato, a Republican, can run against Rep. Julia Brownley (D), who has represented the district just northwest of Los Angeles since 2013. His fundraiser, Charles Moran, told the Los Angeles Times that Sabato has always been interested in public policy and politics and was inspired to run after speaking at the Republican National Convention last summer. "Being a Republican and with proximity to the White House and Republican leadership, he's going to be able to get more done — being in the majority, with his notoriety, for the residents of the 26th district," Moran said.
Sabato, 45, has appeared in Calvin Klein underwear ads and on General Hospital, Melrose Place, and multiple reality shows, including VH1's My Antonio, where he tried to find love. He said after the convention that Hollywood producers blacklisted him, but his IMDB page shows that since 2016, he has played Dario in the TV movie Dark Paradise and Miguel in Dance Night Obsession, and starred in Antonio: Down Under as himself.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures An explosive meal, a carnival of joy, and more
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
