Rio Phillips
Christopher "Rio" Phillips | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 18, 1981 Waynesboro, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Christopher Phillips (Born May 18, 1981), known professionally and politically as Rio Phillips and occasionally by the alias Rio DeCielo, is an American political activist and Democratic candidate for the 2026 United States Senate election in West Virginia.[1]
Early Life and Family
Phillips was born in Waynesboro, Virginia where he lived until the age of nine. He then moved to Sarasota, Florida with his mother following his parents' divorce. Phillips has attended multiple colleges, including Erie Community College, Buffalo State College, and the University of Central Florida; however he has never obtained a degree. [citation needed]
Although Phillips stated in a 2025 campaign speech that he relocated to West Virginia in 2020, public business records from the Utah Division of Corporations list him as a manager of ELYKSR LLC, a Salt Lake City–based company, through at least 2023.[2] [3]
Activism
Occupy Buffalo
Phillips initially entered the public eye during the 2011 Occupy Buffalo movement. He was an active participant in the group's encampment at Niagara Square, and regularly appeared in livestreams and public demonstrations. However, his time in the encampments was marked by internal disagreements.
On December 26, 2011, Phillips was evicted from the camp after moving with a small group of individuals to Lafayette Square without the broader group's consensus. [4] Following his removal, Phillips and another former member, Steve Norris, joined a Facebook-based group called "Liberate Buffalo" and began organizing online criticism of Occupy Buffalo. According to contemporaneous reports, they contacted local media, city officials including Councilmember Richard Fontana, and raised allegations about ordinance violations and financial mismanagement within Occupy Buffalo.[citation needed]
Million Muslim March
Phillips was a primary organizer and spokesperson for the Million Muslim March, later renamed the Million American March Against Fear, held in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2013.[5] The event, promoted by the American Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC), aimed to protest anti-Muslim discrimination and U.S. surveillance policies following the September 11 attacks. It attracted controversy for its timing and perceived association with 9/11 conspiracy theorists.[6]
Phillips appeared as a public representative for the event in several media outlets, including an interview segment on the Fox News program Hannity, where he was described as one of the event’s organizers. During the interview, Phillips expressed skepticism about the official account of the September 11 attacks.[7]
Despite low turnout, the event proceeded on the National Mall and featured several speakers, including academic and activist Cornel West, who marched with attendees and gave remarks at the U.S. Capitol. Phillips later recounted that while the march faced backlash, he considered it successful in promoting discourse about U.S. foreign policy, Islamophobia, and civil liberties.[8]
2026 Senate Candidacy
Phillips He first declared his intention to run publicly during Charleston’s "No Kings" protest on June 14, 2025.[citation needed]. He later formally filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on July 18, 2025.[9]
The election is scheduled for November 3, 2026, and Phillips is listed among the declared Democratic candidates challenging incumbent Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
References
- ↑ "Form 1 for RIO PHILLIPS FOR WEST VIRGINIA". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
- ↑ Rio Phillips for U.S. Senate 2026 (2025-05-23). First Campaign Speech - Sunrise Movement Huntington - Marshall University - May 22, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-26 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Business Entity Search – Utah Division of Corporations". Utah Department of Commerce. Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
Entity number 12844313-0161, ELYKSR LLC, lists Christopher Michael Phillips as a manager at 3381 Edison St., South Salt Lake, UT. Business status: Administratively dissolved as of 2024.
- ↑ "Second Occupy Camp Raided | WKBW News 7: News, Sports, Weather | Buffalo, NY | Business". www.wkbw.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ "Million American March Against Fear on 9-11-13". mamaf.webs.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ ""Million Muslim March" Attendees Confronted by Christian Protesters on National Mall". NBC4 Washington. 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ Wilstein, Matt (2013-08-20). "Million Muslim March's Chris Phillips on Fox's Sean Hannity". Mediaite. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ Boehman, Craig (2013-12-08). "Interview With Activist Chris Phillips". Democracy Chronicles. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1904361". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
This article "Rio Phillips" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Rio Phillips. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
