Famous People Running for Office

Staff writer shares their thought on the recent phenomenon of famous people running for office

JARRETT CONNOLLY JARRETT.CONNOLLY.20@CNU.EDU

Once upon a time, it was strange and rare for celebrities to run for public office in America. Only a few like Al Franken, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, and Ronald Reagan actually ended up winning. But ever since Donald Trump, a former media personality, was elected President, it seems more and more celebrities are throwing their hats in the ring. Cynthia Nixon, Kanye West, Dr. Oz, and Caitlyn Jenner have all unsuccessfully sought office in the past few years and other celebrities such as Alyssa Milano, Dwayne Johnson, and Matthew McCoughney have all reportedly considered major political bids. Now with the 2024 elections only a year away, we are seeing Boy Meets World actor Ben Savage make a run for Congress for California’s 30th Congressional District and The Good Doctor actor Hill Harper is running for Senate in Michigan (both as Democrats). It seems more and more likely that your favorite singer or actor may take a swing at a major office, but is that really what we need in the already chaotic political climate?

On one hand, the majority of our Congress, according to the Congressional Research Service, is made up of businesspersons, lawyers, and people who have worked in politics prior to election so some job diversity would not be terrible. But another demographic worth noting is that over half of the US Congress are millionaires, according to the OpenSecrets nonprofit. It's a hard sell to have celebrities, already affluent in their own right, to run to represent the people. One of the biggest points made against Dr.Oz in his unsuccessful attempt to run for Senate in Pennsylvania, was that he was an out of touch celebrity with 11 homes and $200 million dollar net worth. We need job diversity but maybe more educators, more social workers, more blue collar workers is the answer rather than more millionaires.

There’s also the question of why. Why would someone who already has a tremendous amount of influence and power need a political office. It is hard to shake the idea that it's a stunt for attention. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who believes that Kanye West’s runs for president are a serious venture on his part and not a desperate grasp for more attention.

When you look at the celebrities who have successfully been elected, it's a mixed bag. Jesse Ventura had mixed to positive reception to his time as Governor of Minnesota, while Arnold Schwarzenegger left the office of Governor of California with a record low 23% approval rating. The presidencies of Reagan and Trump have been polarizing in their own right as well. It's hard to push the need for celebrity politicians when the celebrities who become politicians don’t do their job exceptionally well.

I’m not denying that some celebrities genuinely wish to help their communities and create change but is public officer the way to do it? There is charity, activism, and other ways to do that. But if public office is the way, why not run locally. Mayorships, city councils, stage legislatures, school boards, soil inspectors, etc do more to actually affect people in their day to day lives. But ultimately, it's still a matter of trying to sell to the voter that a affluent and successful celebrity is the most qualified person to help repair your roads or lower the crime rates.