Explicit photos of a Democratic congressional candidate in New York have resurfaced just months before Election Day.
Chris Gallant, 37, is the Democratic nominee running against Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in New York’s 1st Congressional District. Before entering politics, Gallant appeared in photographs tied to Mr. S Leather, a San Francisco fetish retailer. The images showed him modeling leather collars, harnesses, bondage equipment, and related products. Some of those photos later turned up on third-party adult websites.
Gallant’s attorney, Sara Azari, confirmed the photos are real. She told the New York Post that they came from a private session with a former partner during a committed four-year relationship. According to a report, Azari said Gallant also knew the owner of Mr. S Leather personally and agreed to let the retailer use select images in connection with certain products.
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Internet archives show photos connected to Gallant appeared on the retailer’s website between approximately 2011 and 2020. Azari said that once Gallant began considering a future in public service, he asked the company to pull the images. She said the company honored that request.
The photos that surfaced on unaffiliated adult websites are a separate matter, according to Azari. She said Gallant never gave those outside platforms any permission to distribute the images, and that his arrangement with the retailer was never meant to authorize broader publication by third parties.
Beyond the controversy, Gallant has a substantial professional background. He has served in the Army National Guard since 2006 and flies Black Hawk helicopters. He has also worked as a volunteer firefighter, a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller, and a union leader.
A photo from 2007 shows Gallant at the annual Invasion of the Pines LGBTQ event on Fire Island. Azari confirmed that image predates the Mr. S Leather shoot entirely.
His legal team pushed back firmly against anyone using the photographs as a political weapon. Azari said Gallant will not allow images from a past relationship to be distorted and used to distract voters from actual issues. She added that the photos have no bearing on his record, qualifications, judgment, or fitness to serve, and that he remains committed to his campaign.
Gallant secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Lukas Ventouras in the June primary. He is now running against LaLota, who has held the seat since 2023.
