Then there were the celebrities-turned-politicians that came to the table with some qualifications. Yes, ex-wrestler and actor Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota, comedian and SNL veteran Al Franken was elected to the Senate from the same state, Arnold Schwarzenegger won the governorship in California, and, of course, a reality star named Trump was elected president. To be sure, the trend of inexperienced candidates predates Trump, even if Trump’s example has made the phenomenon more prevalent.
Not even town council or school board.” (Geraghty also points out that the same is true of Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.) “None of them have run for office before. “What do GOP Senate candidates Mehmet Oz, Herschel Walker, Vance, Blake Masters, and the not-so-Trumpy Joe O’Dea have in common?” asks National Review’s Jim Geraghty. Chris Sununu-a popular, sane Republican-who, too, opted not to run for the Senate.Īside from pushing aside quality candidates who might, you know, win- another aspect of Trump’s influence is that he is a magnet for inexperienced and just plain weird wannabes. You could argue the same thing about New Hampshire Gov. Doug Ducey, who is term-limited (and was attacked by Trump for not going along with the stolen election lie), likely would have run for the U.S. There have also been missed opportunities for candidate recruitment. Rob Portman be retiring in what would normally be considered a great Republican year? But if not for the specter of Trump looming over GOP electoral politics, would Republican Sen. Vance is facing an unexpectedly tough challenge from Democratic Rep. Next door in Ohio, bestselling author J.D. Pat Toomey would be coasting to re-election in the Keystone State. Absent Trump, it’s entirely possible that, instead of heading for the exits, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler would be running for re-election, thus making Herschel Walker’s (shall we say) unorthodox candidacy a moot point. Senate seats in Georgia back in 2020 by insisting the vote was rigged, Republicans would never have lost control of the Senate to begin with. Americans Are Dangerously Divided (And Not Just Over Trump)