Trisha Paytas may be eyeing a move from internet fame to elected office.
In a YouTube video titled “2026 MANIFESTATIONS” uploaded on Jan. 5, the 37-year-old content creator said she “would love to run” for her U.S. House of Representatives seat in California, where she lives with her husband, Moses Hacmon, and their three children.
“I know, it sounds so crazy to me, too,” she said in the video, which was filmed inside her car. “I really want to be able to truly make a difference because I see so much horrible stuff happening in the world — and happening right here in California as well.”
Later that day, Paytas expanded on the idea in a TikTok, saying she was “currently Googling” how to run for Congress and explaining where the inspiration came from.
“The idea of me being representative for the state of California came to me in a dream — in a vision, if you will,” she said. “It’s so vivid to me.”
Paytas added that becoming a mother in 2022 changed her perspective and made her more concerned about the future.
“I never thought of myself as a political person until I started having kids and realizing, like, the world could be just so disastrous [and] dystopian for real by the time they get to be adults,” she told followers. “I was like, ‘Alright Trish, enough just, like, shutting it out, being ignorant.”
If Paytas decides to seek a spot on the November ballot, she would need to complete nomination paperwork, file a declaration of candidacy, and gather signatures from constituents. She would also need to either pay a filing fee of $1,740 or collect 1,740 signatures in lieu of the fee by March 6.
She could also run as a write-in candidate in the primary election, though she would need to finish first or second in the primary vote totals to advance to November’s general election.
In her TikTok, Paytas said her “main goal” if elected would be to raise the minimum age to participate in the adult entertainment industry to 25. (In a 2021 Vulture profile, Paytas estimated that 70 percent of her income at the time came from OnlyFans, a subscription-based platform known for adult content.)
She also floated a possible slogan: “California could be good.”
“It could be good,” she said. “Just need to figure out a better system for everyone and everything.”
Paytas — who has previously endorsed candidates across the political spectrum — did not say whether she would run with a specific party affiliation.
In 2012, she publicly supported Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, calling him “super hot” in a video that has since been deleted. She also expressed support for Donald Trump in 2016, but later posted a since-deleted 2019 video titled “I do NOT support Trump,” where she said she had “never voted” and knew “literally nothing” about politics.
Ahead of the 2020 elections, Paytas said on the now-discontinued Frenemies podcast (hosted with Ethan Klein) that she voted for Joe Biden because he had “quoted Hamilton” — incorrectly assuming in a now-viral moment that a line from the Declaration of Independence came from the Broadway musical.
Outside of politics, Paytas recently completed a three-week run in Beetlejuice on Broadway, marking her stage acting debut. HBO also confirmed in October that she will appear in season three of Euphoria, which airs this spring.
“I’m lucky, and I’m really thankful,” Paytas said in November. “I’ve just been enjoying life.”
