Third-party congressional candidate, Mike Itkis has made headlines for the release of a sex tape starring himself and adult performer Nicole Sage in what he has called a “conversation piece” according to City and State.

The aspiring candidate aims to replace Representative Jerry Nadler in Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District. He is also running against Republican candidate Mike Zumbluskas. The three will duke it out during the midterm elections scheduled for November 8. 

Also Read | Mike Itkis, New York City congressional candidate, releases sex tape of himself with porn actor Nicole Sage

Who is Mike Itkis?

Born in Odessa within the Soviet Union, in 1969 in what is now Ukraine, Itkis and his family emigrated to America in 1979. They settled that year in New York City but have lived in Manhattan’s Upper East Side since 1995. 

Itkis attended Stuyvesant High School in the East Village, graduating in 1987. The college-prep school is ranked as the best public school in the state of New York and is ranked sixth countrywide. 

He then attended Cornell University in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Science in Electrical Engineering in 1991. He went on to graduate from Baruch College with an MBA in 2008. Itkis then did another masters, this time in science, with a specialisation in information security. Most recently, he went through the Veteran Program for Politics at Syracuse University in 2020. 

Broadly speaking, the 53-year-old Army officer is running on a platform that supports abortion rights, gun control, economic opportunities for everyone, strong social safety nets and proper government oversight to ensure fair trade practices. 

Additionally, Itkis is also running on a platform of being sex positive, as evidenced by the 13-minute video called Bucket List Bonanza that he shot with Nicole Sage in 2021. He says that is pro-abortion rights for women and has also said that men should not be required to support biological children without prior agreement. 

Itkis has described himself as “Not married. No kids. Not celibate. Atheist.”