As the 2022 election season nears its conclusion, one Manhattan candidate is hoping his latest raunchy stunt will help him come out on top — or at least get his name out there.
Mike Itkis is running in New York's 12th district, where he is mounting a long shot bid to unseat Rep. Jerry Nadler, the longtime Democrat who won a June primary over fellow NYC political bastion Carolyn Maloney. Itkis, an independent, is running on a platform that includes sex positivity as one of his keystone issues, and supports legalizing sex work.
To prove he's more than just talk, Itkis was willing to bare all — and no, not in an interview. The candidate filmed and released a sex tape he made with an adult film star in hopes of pumping up support and getting his name into the race.
The cybersecurity specialist and major in the U.S. Army Reserves called his video posted to a pornographic website a "conversation piece," in an interview with City & State.
"If I would just talk about it, it wouldn’t demonstrate my commitment to the issue. And the fact I actually did it was a huge learning experience, and it actually influenced items on my platform," he told the outlet.
On his campaign website, Itkis describes himself as a "liberal independent candidate" who is "not married. No kids. Not celibate. Atheist."
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Aside from cybersecurity, sex positivity appears to be one of his top issues he addresses on his website, though he doesn't go into great detail about some of his positions. A pro-choice candidate, his website says he would like to "redefine abortion debate as a right to unplanned sex."
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One of eight bullet points on the topic also says that "Men should not be required to support biological children without prior agreement."
