George Conway Vows Third Trump Impeachment in Bid for Congress
George Conway, the prominent Never-Trump conservative lawyer and former Republican, has launched a congressional campaign in New York’s 12th District with a dramatic promise: to put President Donald Trump “away for good” through a third impeachment effort. In a campaign ad released on June 15, 2026, Conway directly addressed Trump, vowing that “the only thing your name is going to be left on when I’m done with you is the orange jumpsuit you’re going to have to wear in prison,” as Fox News reported.
Conway, 62, is running as a Democrat in the crowded primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who has represented the deep-blue district covering most of Midtown Manhattan and Roosevelt Island since 1992. The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 23, 2026, with the winner virtually assured of winning the general election in November.
Background: A Dramatic Political Transformation
Conway’s journey from conservative Republican to Democratic congressional candidate represents one of the most striking political evolutions in modern American politics. A Harvard- and Yale-educated lawyer, Conway argued and won the Supreme Court case Morrison v. National Australia Bank in 2010 and was a partner at the prestigious firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
In the 1990s, he worked on the Paula Jones lawsuit against President Bill Clinton, which helped lay the groundwork for Clinton’s impeachment. He was a Federalist Society member and was considered by Trump for high-ranking Department of Justice positions, including Solicitor General and Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, before withdrawing from consideration in 2017.
According to NBC News, Conway’s break with Trump began after the president fired FBI Director James Comey. By 2018, he was co-authoring op-eds challenging the constitutionality of Trump’s appointments and co-founding anti-Trump organizations, including the Lincoln Project, a Super PAC of former Republicans dedicated to defeating Trump.
The Campaign Ad and White House Response
Conway’s 60-second campaign ad, filmed outside the U.S. Capitol, features him directly addressing Trump: “Hi, Donald. It’s me, George Conway. I cost you 88 f------ million dollars, and I’ve only just gotten started.” He points to the Capitol building and says, “That’s where we’re going to hold your third and final impeachment trial, the one that’s going to put you away for good, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of that.”
The White House responded by accusing Conway of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital: “Lightweight George Conway is a stupid person’s idea of a smart person. His severe and debilitating disease known as Trump Derangement syndrome has melted his brain and made him crazy in the head.”
The ad does not specify what specific conduct Conway believes would warrant a third impeachment, and his campaign did not respond to requests for clarification.
A Crowded Primary Field
Conway enters a competitive Democratic primary with several well-known candidates. According to an Emerson College Poll conducted May 16-17, 2026, Conway trails at 10% among likely Democratic primary voters, placing fourth in a field of eight candidates. State Assembly Members Micah Lasher (22%) and Alex Bores (20%) lead the pack, followed by Jack Schlossberg (11%), the grandson of President John F. Kennedy. With 32% of voters undecided, there remains room for movement.
Conway’s support is concentrated among voters aged 60 and over (18% in that demographic). However, he faces significant structural disadvantages, including questions about his recent return to the district after living in Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., and his late-in-life conversion to the Democratic Party.
As The Independent reported, Conway addressed the residency criticism by noting that he spent decades working in the district at Wachtell Lipton and that all four of his children were born in New York City. “It left an indelible mark on me, and left an overwhelming pride at having lived there and living there once again,” he said.
Analysis: A Single-Issue Campaign
Conway’s campaign represents a bet that anti-Trump sentiment remains the dominant motivating factor for Democratic primary voters. In interviews, he has argued that “we can’t even really seriously make inroads into improving things … until we deal with job one, which is Trump.” This single-issue focus has drawn criticism from opponents who argue New Yorkers need leadership on affordability, housing, and other local concerns.
Trump was impeached twice previously — in 2020 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and in 2021 for incitement of insurrection following the January 6 Capitol attack — and was acquitted by the Senate both times. No president has ever been impeached three times, and no president has ever been convicted by the Senate. Even if Democrats retake the House in November, impeaching and convicting Trump would require a two-thirds Senate majority, an unlikely prospect given the current political landscape.
What’s Next
With the June 23 primary just over a week away, Conway faces an uphill battle to overcome his polling deficit. His campaign has not secured major institutional endorsements, unlike Lasher, who has the backing of Nadler, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Conway’s political evolution — from celebrating Trump’s 2016 victory alongside his then-wife Kellyanne Conway, to becoming one of Trump’s most vocal critics, to now seeking office as a Democrat — will be tested at the ballot box as voters decide whether his anti-Trump credentials outweigh concerns about his recent party affiliation and residency.