He’s the man most of the country knows for landing his gyrocopter in the nation’s capital in restricted airspace.



Now Doug Hughes, the man behind the gyrocopter, hopes to take on the government in a different way: by running for office.

“I’m running as a Democrat. I’ve been a Democrat since I first voted in 1972,” Hughes said.

That’s right. Doug Hughes for Congress. And he’s not aiming for just any seat. He intends to run against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz who represents parts of the Broward and Miami area.

Oh and she just so happens to be the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

“She is the poster child of establishment politics,” Hughes said. “She runs the Democratic Party. She’s the chairperson for the Democratic National Committee and she’s indulging in power politics.”

Hughes says Schultz represents everything he protested when he flew his gyrocopter to the capitol in April. And he says people should take his campaign seriously because he risked so much that day to raise awareness on a number of issues.

“Do you think anyone who would risk their life as I did is going to go up there and get absorbed into the system and become as corrupt as everyone up there?” he said. “It’s not going to happen.”

Hughes has to jump through a few hoops before he officially gets in the running for this seat. The first obstacle is the house arrest bracelet around his ankle and getting a judge to allow him to travel to South Florida. He hopes to eventually move there to represent that district.

We reached out to the Schultz campaign for comment but have yet to hear back.

When asked what he would do if his opponent pointed out he is now a felon and a risk taker, his answer was simple.

“I’ve got an ankle bracelet,” he said. “I am a felon. I wear that as a badge of honor and if she says you’re a criminal, my reaction is we should all be criminals if that’s what it takes to get the money out of politics and restore democracy.”

The 62-year-old admits this is a big feat going up against an established candidate. And despite everything he says is wrong with the way his opponent does business, he says he’s got a real shot at this because he’s seen it done before. But in the end, it’s all up to the voters.

Hughes still has to face a judge for landing that gyrocopter and could face jail time. That hearing is in April, a month before he plans to file the paperwork to be considered a candidate.