Jay Feely Runs for Congress: NFL Kicker Eyes Capitol Hill
Former NFL kicker Jay Feely is running for Congress, joining a growing wave of athletes trading locker rooms for legislative chambers. Here's what DC needs to know.
In brief
Jay Feely, a 13-year NFL veteran and former CBS Sports analyst, is running for Congress, making him the latest professional athlete to pursue elected office. Feely is campaigning on leadership principles he developed during his football career, joining a long but uneven tradition of athletes who have sought — and sometimes won — seats in the U.S. House and Senate.
⚡ KEY TAKEAWAYS
Jay Feely, former NFL kicker for the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, and Arizona Cardinals, is running for a seat in the U.S. Congress.
Feely joins a modern wave of athletes-turned-politicians that includes figures like J.C. Watts, Jim Bunning, and Steve Largent — all of whom won congressional seats after pro sports careers.
His candidacy centers on leadership, accountability, and public service — rhetoric drawn directly from his athletic identity.
Athletes who successfully transition to Congress typically do so in home-state districts where their sports fame built pre-existing name recognition.
Washington's political machine tends to be skeptical of celebrity candidacies — but voter appetite for outsiders remains high heading into the 2026 midterm cycle.
Who Is Jay Feely — and Why Is He Running Now?
Jay Feely spent 13 seasons in the NFL as a placekicker, suiting up for the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and New York Jets between 2001 and 2013. He made three Pro Bowl rosters and became one of the more recognizable specialists of his generation. After retiring from football, Feely transitioned into sports media, serving as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports and building a public profile that extended beyond the gridiron.
Feely has also been publicly vocal about his Christian faith and conservative political values — a combination that has long served as a launching pad for Republican candidates in competitive districts. His congressional run fits a recognizable template: an athlete with high name recognition, a compelling personal narrative, and crossover appeal entering a race where traditional political résumés don't necessarily win.
The timing is deliberate. With the 2026 midterm elections shaping up as a defining referendum on the direction of federal policy — from spending and defense to immigration and trade — candidates who can generate earned media and grassroots enthusiasm have a structural advantage over career politicians carrying institutional baggage. Feely is betting his locker room credibility converts to ballot box results.
The Athlete-to-Congress Pipeline: A Track Record With Real Wins
The idea of a pro athlete running for Congress might draw eye-rolls inside the Beltway, but the track record is more substantive than skeptics admit. The Office of the Historian at the U.S. House of Representatives documents a long lineage of former athletes who won congressional seats — many of whom became consequential legislators.
Oklahoma's J.C. Watts, a former University of Oklahoma quarterback, served four terms in the House and became one of the most prominent Black Republicans in Congress during the late 1990s. Kentucky's Jim Bunning — a Hall of Fame pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies — served six terms in the House and two in the Senate. Washington State's Steve Largent, a Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, won four House terms before narrowly losing a governor's race in 2002.
More recently, the pipeline has included figures like Burgess Owens, the former NFL safety who won Utah's 4th Congressional District seat in 2020 and was re-elected in 2022 and 2024. Owens, like Feely, leaned heavily on his athletic identity and values-based messaging to connect with voters skeptical of career politicians. According to Politico, the 2026 cycle is already drawing interest from several other former professional athletes eyeing open seats.
Why Washington Watches Athlete Candidacies With Both Interest and Caution
Inside the District — along the corridors of Capitol Hill and in the green rooms of K Street — athlete candidacies tend to generate a particular kind of ambivalence. Political operatives respect the fundraising firepower that celebrity brings. They're more cautious about whether sports-honed leadership actually maps onto the grinding, coalition-dependent work of legislating.
The House of Representatives demands a specific skill set: constituent services, committee assignment strategy, floor vote negotiation, and the ability to build relationships across ideological lines. The discipline that makes a kicker reliable in a fourth-quarter, high-pressure moment doesn't automatically translate to navigating the House Rules Committee or moving an appropriations amendment through the Senate.
That said, the legislative body Feely would be joining is hardly a meritocracy of policy expertise. Name recognition drives fundraising. Fundraising drives viability. And viability, in a competitive primary, often matters more than a decade of committee work. For more on how DC's political power dynamics actually function, see our DC Politics Guide 2026.
Why This Matters in Washington
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Capitol Hill in 2026 is not the same institution it was a decade ago. The center of gravity has shifted toward members who generate media attention, command social followings, and speak directly to a base that increasingly distrusts institutional experience as a qualification. In that environment, Jay Feely's candidacy isn't an anomaly — it's a symptom of a broader structural shift in how Americans select their representatives.
Washington's political class — the lobbyists on L Street, the staffers grabbing coffee at Tryst in Adams Morgan, the policy shop directors at think tanks scattered between Dupont Circle and the Capitol South Metro stop — will be watching whether Feely's candidacy develops into a serious legislative operation or remains a media moment. The difference, historically, comes down to whether the candidate builds a ground game to match the name recognition.
According to the Federal Election Commission, fundraising totals in the first filing period after announcement typically signal whether a celebrity candidacy is structurally competitive or primarily symbolic. Feely's Q1 and Q2 FEC filings will tell insiders far more than any cable news appearance about his actual viability. Track the full landscape of who's rising and who's fading in our DC Power Players Index.
The Broader 2026 Midterm Context
Feely's announcement lands as the 2026 midterm cycle accelerates into a period of intense recruitment activity by both parties. Republican leadership on the Hill has prioritized flipping suburban House seats, particularly in states where Donald Trump's 2024 margins created unexpected opportunities. Democrats, meanwhile, are working to nationalize the cycle around economic anxiety and institutional credibility — a message that could cut against celebrity outsider candidates across the board.
The NPR Politics team has noted that athlete candidates tend to perform better in primaries than in general elections, where base enthusiasm gives way to broader electorate scrutiny. Feely's path to Washington likely runs through a competitive Republican primary first — where his name recognition and media fluency are clear assets — before any general election calculus becomes relevant.
For a deeper look at who holds real power in this city — elected and otherwise — visit our DC Power Index.
What to Watch Next
The bottom line: Jay Feely is a credible, if unconventional, congressional candidate whose campaign will be stress-tested by FEC disclosures, primary field dynamics, and the fundamental question of whether locker room leadership actually prepares someone for the legislative arena. The precedents — from Jim Bunning to Burgess Owens — suggest it can work. The failures — and there are more than the wins — suggest it usually doesn't. What separates the two outcomes is organizational discipline, policy depth, and the willingness to do the unglamorous work of retail politics long after the cameras have moved on.
Watch Feely's FEC filings in the coming months, the composition of his campaign staff, and whether he picks up endorsements from established Republican figures inside his target district. Those three signals will tell you more about his trajectory than any touchdown celebration analogy ever could. Follow WDCM's Politics and Power Moves coverage for ongoing updates as the 2026 cycle develops.
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FAQ: Jay Feely's Congressional Run
Q: What position is Jay Feely running for in Congress? A: Jay Feely is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Specific district details are expected to be confirmed as his campaign formally files with the Federal Election Commission.
Q: What NFL teams did Jay Feely play for? A: Feely played for the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and New York Jets during his 13-year NFL career from 2001 to 2013, earning three Pro Bowl selections.
Q: Have other NFL players successfully run for Congress? A: Yes. Burgess Owens, a former NFL safety, won Utah's 4th Congressional District seat in 2020 and has been re-elected twice. Steve Largent, a Hall of Fame wide receiver, served four House terms representing Oklahoma.
Q: What political party is Jay Feely running with? A: Feely has publicly aligned with conservative values and is running as a Republican, consistent with his longstanding public statements on faith, policy, and public service.
Q: What is Jay Feely's political platform? A: Feely's campaign centers on leadership, government accountability, and values-based governance — themes drawn from his athletic career and public commentary as a CBS Sports analyst.
Q: When are the 2026 midterm elections? A: The 2026 midterm elections are scheduled for November 3, 2026, with primary elections varying by state occurring in the spring and summer of 2026.
Reporting drawn from: Fox News. Washington DC Magazine provides original analysis, DC-specific context, and editorial perspective beyond the source material.This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by WDCM editorial staff. Washington DC Magazine is committed to accuracy, transparency, and editorial integrity. If you believe any information in this article requires correction, please contact editor@washingtondcmagazine.com.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
