Santa Claus (born Thomas Patrick O'Connor,1947)[1] is an American politician,monk,and child welfare activist. Claus gained recognition as a member of the North Pole,Alaska City Council,[2] and was a candidate for the 2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election.[3] He changed his name to match the legendary character in 2005,to help bring awareness to his advocacy for children's health and welfare,a time during which he engaged in a nation-wide tour to champion that cause.[4] Claus has expanded his advocacy as a congressional candidate into the broader sphere of democratic socialism,including support for Medicare for All,coronavirus relief,a wealth tax,and student loan cancellation.[5]
In 1971,Claus began a career in the New York City Police Department as a videographer. He held various positions including special assistant to the deputy police commissioner under Mayor John Lindsay,head of security for the Port Authority,and founding director of a terrorism research group.[10] His approach to studying terrorism focused on underlying issues that led people to become terrorists. Claus has said his ideas were dismissed by national security officials while an appointed member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Defense Executive Reserve.[4]
Jaded with federal government,Claus became chief of safety and security at the United States Virgin Islands territory port,overseeing two international airports and four marine ports.[4] He entered public broadcasting and worked at a radio station in Telluride,Colorado,as vice president of a Lake Tahoe television station,and later served on the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission.[4][5] Before becoming a city councillor,Claus also worked as a senior ranger for the Fairbanks North Star Borough at the Chena Lakes Recreation Area.[7]
After growing out his beard in monk tradition,he was compared to Santa Claus and decided to change his name in 2005. When asked in 2015 about his previous name,Tom O'Connor,he said "I don’t even remember to respond to that anymore".[13] In 2006 and 2007,he went on Santa's Bless the Children Tour to discuss child welfare with governors offices.
Claus attributes his interest in child welfare and his democratic socialist values to the "plethora of ills that plague America’s youth" he observed in New York City.[13] He has spent much of his life campaigning to bring greater protections to underprivileged and marginalized children,particularly in the United States.[14] In 2009,Claus won the International Peace Prize presented by the Santa Claus Peace Council[clarification needed] for his child welfare advocacy.[15] Claus ran for president in 2012.[10] He received 625 votes in Maryland.[12] Claus believes legislators engage with him and his ideas more readily because of his name,and the media attention it gets.[14]
North Pole City Council
In 2013,Claus moved to North Pole,Alaska and became the president of the North Pole Chamber of Commerce.[16] During that time he successfully lobbied Alaska to pass Erin's Law,which trains teachers to recognize signs of child abuse.[13] Claus was elected to the North Pole City Council in 2015 as a write-in candidate,winning with 58 votes.[17] In 2016,Claus spoke out against a proposed ban of marijuana dispensaries in North Pole,successfully swaying his council colleagues to reject the proposition.[18] Claus was re-elected to the council in 2019,[19] with 100 votes.[20] As of 2022,he is the mayor pro tem.[21]
2022 Alaska congressional special election
Claus ran in the 2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election.[22] He intended to only complete the remainder of Congressman Don Young's term,and made clear that he was not interested in running for the additional full term,to be contested in November 2022.[7] Political analysts noted that campaigning against 'Santa' would be challenging.[23] In spite of this,competing candidate Josh Revak willingly characterised his own campaign as "waging a war on Santa",calling Claus' policies "Marxist fantasies".[24]Claus was among 48 candidates running in the non-partisanJune primary,including former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin,[25] which used ranked-choice voting for the first time.[26] The top four candidates contested the Special General Election on August 16.[27] A poll of 605 voters from Alaska Survey Research in May 2022 placed Claus with approximately 6% of the vote,[28] which would have seen him place fourth,proceeding to the general election.[29] Claus finished in sixth place in the election and subsequently endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola for the general election.[30]
"I don’t get behind much of the crass commercialization spectacle that happens around Christmas" – Santa Claus in 2015 to The Washington Post
Claus has an adult stepson but is not currently married.[17] He reports that he has had multiple cancers, but has not shared specific diagnoses.[17] Claus sometimes wears his red monk’s robes.[11] As a monk, Claus has taken a religious vow of poverty, making just $300 a month as a North Pole councilman.[1] He reportedly volunteers more than 1,000 hours per year.[1]
↑ "Mary Peltola for U.S. Congress". July 31, 2022. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022. As a Native woman, I understand that Alaskans are a diverse people who need leaders who can unite us. We also need a federal government that helps stabilize our economy. My top priority is to improve Alaskans quality of life
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