CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — It’s almost November, and which means two things: Thanksgiving and elections. This time though we aren’t talking in regards to the 4 amendments that can be on West Virginia’s ballot, were talking in regards to the politicians who were famous before they were famous. Listed below are 20 individuals who were already well-established before running for political office.
Ronald Reagan (R)
Everyone knows this one, so we’ll get it out of the best way first. Ronald Reagan was elected the fortieth President of america, but before he was involved in politics, he was already well-known within the radio and film industry. Just a few of his notable movies include “The Killers” (1964) and “Kings Row” (1942). Paradoxically, in a single film series, Reagan stars as a secret service agent named Lieutenant “Brass” Bancroft. The primary of those movies, “Secret Service of the Air” was released in 1940.
Donald Trump (R)
Donald Trump was a businessman and real estate developer long before his 2016 presidency. His book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” was a primary Latest York Times bestseller for 13 weeks, and he was also the host of the fact TV show, “The Apprentice.” He was a guest star in several other TV shows and movies, including “Home Alone 2,” “Sex and the City,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Zoolander” and “The Little Rascals”. He has also made a couple of appearances in WWE Raw.
Ye, formerly generally known as Kanye West (AIP)
Kanye West, who had his legal name modified to Ye in 2021, is one of the successful hip-hop artists of all time. He has two VMA’s and two grammy awards, and 6 of his albums were on Rolling Stone’s 2020 500 Best Albums of All Time, together with his album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” sitting at number 17.
In 2020 Kanye announced he could be running within the 2020 presidential election as a component of the American Independence Party, but conceded the morning after Election Day after only getting around 60,000 votes as reported by the BBC.
Jerry Springer (D)
Jerry Springer is an actor and comedian, well-known for his parts in movies like “Domino”, “Ringmaster”, and “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”, in addition to having his own talk show, “The Jerry Springer Show” which ran for nearly 40 years.
Springer had already held a couple of different political offices before he began in journalism and eventually television. Springer was elected to the Cincinnati, Ohio city council, but before that he worked as a political aid to Robert Kennedy prior to his assassination. Springer served on the Cincinnati city council from 1972-1974, until he was involved in a prostitution scandal. A 12 months later he won his seat back on the council after which became mayor in 1976. Based on Ohio History Central, Springer won the mayoral seat by the most important margin in the town’s history. In 1982 he ran for governor but was not elected.
Clint Eastwood (N)
One of the popular actors of his time and best known for his western movies and TV shows, Clint Eastwood was motivated to run for mayor of Carmel, California as a nonpartisan in 1986, after frustrations with the local government. He won the race with over 70 percent of the vote and served as mayor for 2 terms.
Shirley Temple (R)
Shirley Temple stays one of the famous and popular child stars in Hollywood history and commenced her acting profession at just three years old. In 1967 she ran for the California State Senate on the Republican ballot and would have been the primary woman to carry the position if she had won, but she didn’t. In a while, she was appointed as a U.S. ambassador to Ghana, and later as an envoy to Czechoslovakia.
Mehmet Oz (R)
Dr. Oz is best known for his show, “The Dr. Oz Show” or simply “Dr. Oz”, which aired 13 seasons from 2009 until its final episode in January 2022. Oz decided to step away from the show after announcing his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2021.
Herschel Walker (R)
Before Herschel Walker began campaigning for the 2022 Georgia U.S. Senate race, he spent much of his life as a football player. Walker played as a running back for the University of Georgia and was later drafted into the NFL by the Cowboys. He went on to play for the Vikings, Eagles, and Giants. He won multiple awards within the NCAA and the NFL, including the Heisman Trophy in 1982.
Caitlyn Jenner (R)
Caitlyn Jenner is well-known for her Olympic success, in addition to her marriage to Kris Kardashian and involvement in the fact show centered across the Kardashian family. In 2021, Caitlyn Jenner put her name within the running for the California recall election to switch Gavin Newsom as governor. Nevertheless, Jenner was unable to leverage her fame enough to be considered an actual contender for the position, only gaining a bit of over one percent of votes on the polls.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is certainly one of the more successful celebrities turned politician relating to his political profession. Schwarzenegger, known for his roles in “The Terminator”, “Predator”, and “Total Recall”, was elected the thirty eighth governor of California in 2003 and served in that office until 2011.
Howard Stern (R)
Howard Stern is a radio and tv personality known for being a “shock jock” and expressing his unfiltered opinions. In 1994, Stern won the libertarian nomination for the Latest York gubernatorial election but withdrew from the election after refusing to release his financial information. Recently, Stern has expressed interest in participating within the 2024 U.S. presidential race, saying he would want Bradley Cooper as his running mate.
Stephen Colbert (D)
A comedian, author and tv host, Colbert attempted to run within the South Carolina presidential primary in 2008 but was denied being included on the Democratic ballot. He initially planned to run in each the Republican and Democratic primaries but selected to not pay the $35,000 fee essential to be included on the Republican ballot. In 2012 Colbert joked he would try to run for president in South Carolina again, but never made it onto the ballot.
Clay Aiken (D)
Clay Aiken got his first big break in 2003 when he participated in “American Idol” season two, where he finished runner-up, and has released multiple albums since.
In 2014 Aiken was defeated within the North Carolina 2nd Congressional District general election by incumbent Renee Ellmers. He ran for congress again within the 2022 Democratic primary election for the South Carolina District 4 U.S. House representative, but only received around seven percent of the vote.
Roseanne Barr (PAF)
Best known for her sitcom “Roseanne”, Barr attempted a presidential run in 2012 on the Green Party ticket but was beaten out by Jill Stein in the first election. Following her defeat within the Green Party, she turned toward the Peace and Freedom Party where she won the party’s nomination.
Sonny Bono (R)
Sonny Bono of “Sonny & Cher” also had a successful profession in politics following his musical accomplishments. Bono served as a U.S. House Representative for California from 1995 until his death in 1998 in a skiing accident at Lake Tahoe. Prior to that, he served because the Mayor of Palm Springs, California from 1988-1992. Bono stays the one member of Congress to have had a number-one pop single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Cynthia Nixon (D)
“Sex and the City” actress Cynthia Nixon participated within the 2018 Latest York gubernatorial race and even participated in a debate with Incumbent Andrew Cuomo.
Nixon faced off against Cuomo within the Democratic primary election but was defeated by a margin of about 500,000 votes.
Fred Thompson (R)
Thompson was a lawyer before he became an actor, with a few of his most notable productions being “The Hunt for Red October”, “Law and Order”, “No Way Out”, and “Die Hard 2”.
Thompson was elected as U.S. senator for Tennessee from 1994-2003 and even served as an advisor to the Senate committee investigating the Watergate scandal.
Al Franken (DFL)
Al Franken was a comedian and talk show host on “The Al Franken Show” and “Saturday Night Live” who went on to function a U.S. senator for Minnesota from 2009-2018 as a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer-Labor Party. Franken’s political profession was cut short in 2018 when sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against him. He was advised to step down by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who met with him after the allegations.
Jesse Ventura (MIP)
Jesse Ventura worked as each an actor and skilled wrestler before he began his political profession in Minnesota. He served as Minnesota’s governor from 1999-2003 as a member of the Minnesota Independence Party and as mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota from 1991-1995.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The present president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the midst of his first term in office but got his start in entertainment, much like Ronald Reagan.
Before he was elected in 2019, Zelenskyy was heavily involved in comedy in his early profession and was a member of Kvartal 95, a Ukrainian production company that produced, shows, skits and cartoons, in the same vein to other production firms like Montey Python. He even starred in a Ukrainian sitcom called “Servant of the People” where he plays a highschool history teacher who’s unexpectedly elected president of Ukraine. He also voiced Paddington Bear within the Ukrainian dub of “Paddington” and “Paddington 2”.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — It’s almost November, and which means two things: Thanksgiving and elections. This time though we aren’t talking in regards to the 4 amendments that can be on West Virginia’s ballot, were talking in regards to the politicians who were famous before they were famous. Listed below are 20 individuals who were already well-established before running for political office.
Ronald Reagan (R)
Everyone knows this one, so we’ll get it out of the best way first. Ronald Reagan was elected the fortieth President of america, but before he was involved in politics, he was already well-known within the radio and film industry. Just a few of his notable movies include “The Killers” (1964) and “Kings Row” (1942). Paradoxically, in a single film series, Reagan stars as a secret service agent named Lieutenant “Brass” Bancroft. The primary of those movies, “Secret Service of the Air” was released in 1940.
Donald Trump (R)
Donald Trump was a businessman and real estate developer long before his 2016 presidency. His book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” was a primary Latest York Times bestseller for 13 weeks, and he was also the host of the fact TV show, “The Apprentice.” He was a guest star in several other TV shows and movies, including “Home Alone 2,” “Sex and the City,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Zoolander” and “The Little Rascals”. He has also made a couple of appearances in WWE Raw.
Ye, formerly generally known as Kanye West (AIP)
Kanye West, who had his legal name modified to Ye in 2021, is one of the successful hip-hop artists of all time. He has two VMA’s and two grammy awards, and 6 of his albums were on Rolling Stone’s 2020 500 Best Albums of All Time, together with his album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” sitting at number 17.
In 2020 Kanye announced he could be running within the 2020 presidential election as a component of the American Independence Party, but conceded the morning after Election Day after only getting around 60,000 votes as reported by the BBC.
Jerry Springer (D)
Jerry Springer is an actor and comedian, well-known for his parts in movies like “Domino”, “Ringmaster”, and “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”, in addition to having his own talk show, “The Jerry Springer Show” which ran for nearly 40 years.
Springer had already held a couple of different political offices before he began in journalism and eventually television. Springer was elected to the Cincinnati, Ohio city council, but before that he worked as a political aid to Robert Kennedy prior to his assassination. Springer served on the Cincinnati city council from 1972-1974, until he was involved in a prostitution scandal. A 12 months later he won his seat back on the council after which became mayor in 1976. Based on Ohio History Central, Springer won the mayoral seat by the most important margin in the town’s history. In 1982 he ran for governor but was not elected.
Clint Eastwood (N)
One of the popular actors of his time and best known for his western movies and TV shows, Clint Eastwood was motivated to run for mayor of Carmel, California as a nonpartisan in 1986, after frustrations with the local government. He won the race with over 70 percent of the vote and served as mayor for 2 terms.
Shirley Temple (R)
Shirley Temple stays one of the famous and popular child stars in Hollywood history and commenced her acting profession at just three years old. In 1967 she ran for the California State Senate on the Republican ballot and would have been the primary woman to carry the position if she had won, but she didn’t. In a while, she was appointed as a U.S. ambassador to Ghana, and later as an envoy to Czechoslovakia.
Mehmet Oz (R)
Dr. Oz is best known for his show, “The Dr. Oz Show” or simply “Dr. Oz”, which aired 13 seasons from 2009 until its final episode in January 2022. Oz decided to step away from the show after announcing his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2021.
Herschel Walker (R)
Before Herschel Walker began campaigning for the 2022 Georgia U.S. Senate race, he spent much of his life as a football player. Walker played as a running back for the University of Georgia and was later drafted into the NFL by the Cowboys. He went on to play for the Vikings, Eagles, and Giants. He won multiple awards within the NCAA and the NFL, including the Heisman Trophy in 1982.
Caitlyn Jenner (R)
Caitlyn Jenner is well-known for her Olympic success, in addition to her marriage to Kris Kardashian and involvement in the fact show centered across the Kardashian family. In 2021, Caitlyn Jenner put her name within the running for the California recall election to switch Gavin Newsom as governor. Nevertheless, Jenner was unable to leverage her fame enough to be considered an actual contender for the position, only gaining a bit of over one percent of votes on the polls.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is certainly one of the more successful celebrities turned politician relating to his political profession. Schwarzenegger, known for his roles in “The Terminator”, “Predator”, and “Total Recall”, was elected the thirty eighth governor of California in 2003 and served in that office until 2011.
Howard Stern (R)
Howard Stern is a radio and tv personality known for being a “shock jock” and expressing his unfiltered opinions. In 1994, Stern won the libertarian nomination for the Latest York gubernatorial election but withdrew from the election after refusing to release his financial information. Recently, Stern has expressed interest in participating within the 2024 U.S. presidential race, saying he would want Bradley Cooper as his running mate.
Stephen Colbert (D)
A comedian, author and tv host, Colbert attempted to run within the South Carolina presidential primary in 2008 but was denied being included on the Democratic ballot. He initially planned to run in each the Republican and Democratic primaries but selected to not pay the $35,000 fee essential to be included on the Republican ballot. In 2012 Colbert joked he would try to run for president in South Carolina again, but never made it onto the ballot.
Clay Aiken (D)
Clay Aiken got his first big break in 2003 when he participated in “American Idol” season two, where he finished runner-up, and has released multiple albums since.
In 2014 Aiken was defeated within the North Carolina 2nd Congressional District general election by incumbent Renee Ellmers. He ran for congress again within the 2022 Democratic primary election for the South Carolina District 4 U.S. House representative, but only received around seven percent of the vote.
Roseanne Barr (PAF)
Best known for her sitcom “Roseanne”, Barr attempted a presidential run in 2012 on the Green Party ticket but was beaten out by Jill Stein in the first election. Following her defeat within the Green Party, she turned toward the Peace and Freedom Party where she won the party’s nomination.
Sonny Bono (R)
Sonny Bono of “Sonny & Cher” also had a successful profession in politics following his musical accomplishments. Bono served as a U.S. House Representative for California from 1995 until his death in 1998 in a skiing accident at Lake Tahoe. Prior to that, he served because the Mayor of Palm Springs, California from 1988-1992. Bono stays the one member of Congress to have had a number-one pop single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Cynthia Nixon (D)
“Sex and the City” actress Cynthia Nixon participated within the 2018 Latest York gubernatorial race and even participated in a debate with Incumbent Andrew Cuomo.
Nixon faced off against Cuomo within the Democratic primary election but was defeated by a margin of about 500,000 votes.
Fred Thompson (R)
Thompson was a lawyer before he became an actor, with a few of his most notable productions being “The Hunt for Red October”, “Law and Order”, “No Way Out”, and “Die Hard 2”.
Thompson was elected as U.S. senator for Tennessee from 1994-2003 and even served as an advisor to the Senate committee investigating the Watergate scandal.
Al Franken (DFL)
Al Franken was a comedian and talk show host on “The Al Franken Show” and “Saturday Night Live” who went on to function a U.S. senator for Minnesota from 2009-2018 as a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer-Labor Party. Franken’s political profession was cut short in 2018 when sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against him. He was advised to step down by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who met with him after the allegations.
Jesse Ventura (MIP)
Jesse Ventura worked as each an actor and skilled wrestler before he began his political profession in Minnesota. He served as Minnesota’s governor from 1999-2003 as a member of the Minnesota Independence Party and as mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota from 1991-1995.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The present president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the midst of his first term in office but got his start in entertainment, much like Ronald Reagan.
Before he was elected in 2019, Zelenskyy was heavily involved in comedy in his early profession and was a member of Kvartal 95, a Ukrainian production company that produced, shows, skits and cartoons, in the same vein to other production firms like Montey Python. He even starred in a Ukrainian sitcom called “Servant of the People” where he plays a highschool history teacher who’s unexpectedly elected president of Ukraine. He also voiced Paddington Bear within the Ukrainian dub of “Paddington” and “Paddington 2”.
