Antonio Sabato, Jr., ‘Melrose Place’ Actor, Running For Congress As A Republican

Antonio Sabato, Jr., best known for his acting on Melrose Place and General Hospital, is running for Congress as a Republican.

ANTONIO SABATO, JR. RUNNING FOR CONGRESS

Sabato rose to political prominence last year when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He is running for Congress in California, according to Chalres Moran, his top fundraiser in the race.

Moran told CNN on Monday that the actor will likely use his connections with the Donald Trump administration to make himself stand out in the race, and help him oust current Democratic occupant, Rep. Julia Brownley. Moran noted that Sabato is close with both the president and one of his sons.

“Brownley is a very junior member in the minority party,” Moran told CNN. “Contrast that against…Antonio Sabato, Jr., you have somebody who is a member of the majority party who has good relations with the Trump administration.”

While Sabato’s RNC speech highlighted his political interest, it also landed him in hot water. At the time, he told ABC News that Barack Obama was a Muslim. “We had a Muslim president for seven and a half years,” he said. “I don’t believe he is a Christian… I believe that he’s on the other side… the Middle East. He’s with the bad guys.”

From 2002 to 2012, the 26th congressional district was held by Republicans. Brownley narrowly won that election in 2013, before which she was with the California State Assembly. In 2016, she beat her GOP opponent by 20 points. In addition to his work on soap operas, Sabato has appeared on multiple reality TV shows, including Dancing with the Stars and My Antonio, in which women competed for his affection.