The man who landed a gyrocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol has picked an opponent to target in his bid for a seat in Congress.

It’s Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee who also represents a district in Florida stretching roughly from Weston to Miami.

In a court filing Wednesday, Douglas Hughes, 62, of Ruskin, Florida, declared that he planned a “strong ground game for his campaign” and would “not engage in aerial civil disobedience.” Hughes pleaded guilty last month to a felony charge of flying without a license stemming from the incident in April in which he piloted a gyrocopter to the District and landed near the Capitol. The incident sparked security fears, but Hughes asserted that it was a peaceful act of civil disobedience meant to raise awareness about the influence of money in politics.

Hughes was allowed to remain free after pleading guilty, although he was subjected to a number of conditions, including that he not travel outside Hillsborough County, where he lives.

He had already made public his intention to run for Congress in a filing last week asking the judge to let him travel across Florida.

Hughes said he was “very deliberately targeting” Wasserman Schultz’s district because Wasserman Schultz was the “poster child of establishment politics on the Democratic side” and had “done a horrible job as chair” of the party.

“I want to get the money out of politics and return the power to the voters, rather than the connected voters and the wealthy,” Hughes said.

“That’s what I flew for, and that’s what I’m running for.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.