# The failure of celebrity candidates **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 7, 2022, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133 "2022-12-07T10:38:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/61 "2022-12-08T23:46:39Z")
Democrats’ greatest flirtation with a major celebrity candidate in recent years involved Oprah (thankfully that idea was eventually dropped). There are still Dems who think getting a celebrity to run as a member of their party is a good idea. How about [Eva Longoria and Gregg Popovich](https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/should-texas-democrats-turn-to-celebrities/)? Or Beyoncé? > [@Chefguy](#): > > You wouldn’t hire a plumber to fix your car, but our country seems to have no problem with hiring doctors, athletes and assorted riff-raff to run the government. I would resent this remark, except that we’ve seen many M.D. embarrassments in Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2022, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/62 "2022-12-10T00:39:30Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > I just don’t think it’s correct to say that celebrity → politics is “nearly always” a train wreck. I don’t know if it’s even more of a train wreck than the average person going into politics. I’m sure it usually doesn’t work out very well for _anyone_. The world of politics is brutal. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/63 "2022-12-10T00:49:42Z")
I wonder if we could draw up a scale of pure celebrity candidates to absolutely not celebrity candidates that would stand up to non-partisan standards. 1–young (under 35) known for non-political things (entertainment, sports, business success) 2-older candidate (36-50) known for non-political things 3-fully mature candidate (over 50) known for non-political things 4- young celebrity candidate known for marginally political things 5–older celeb candidate " " " " " " 6–fully mature celeb candidate " " " " " " 7–young celeb candidate who has served in an elected office 8- older “” " " " " " " 9 fully mature " " “”" “”" " 10-- way old celebrity who has served for many years in an elected office. (I.E. celeb status no longer material) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/64 "2022-12-10T13:03:46Z")
Has anyone mentioned star NBA point guard Kevin Johnson? He was twice elected as mayor of Sacramento, and served with distinction. Per Wikipedia: " In June 2012 Johnson was elected the second vice president of the [United States Conference of Mayors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Conference_of_Mayors) (USCM). He became the first Sacramento mayor to be elected to the second vice president position and became the first Sacramento mayor to serve as president, which he was set to assume in 2014. This was the second national leadership position Johnson assumed in 2012, as he was previously elected to the first vice president of the [National Conference of Black Mayors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Conference_of_Black_Mayors), where he assumed the presidency in 2013. Johnson has received numerous awards for his dedication and contributions to his community. In 1991, Former President [George H. W. Bush](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush) honored Johnson with as the 411th Point of Light recipient in recognition of Johnson’s concern and compassion for children and education. Johnson has received the NBA’s [J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Walter_Kennedy_Citizenship_Award), the John R. Wooden Lifetime Achievement Award 2008, the Good Morning America Award from _[Sports Illustrated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated)_, the “Most Caring American” award by the Caring Institute, and induction into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in [Boise, Idaho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise,_Idaho)." ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/65 "2022-12-15T03:07:09Z")
Mark Kelly is now my Senator. During October we had someone from Corporate, which is out of state, visiting. They mentioned all the election ads and then that Mark Kelly was an astronaut and that that must be helping him. Maybe outside of Tucson, but here what helped him is he’s [Gabby Giffords’s](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabby_Giffords) husband. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/66 "2022-12-15T07:40:46Z")
I mean, if we’re talking about astronauts: > **[John Glenn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn)** > > John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962. Following his retirement from NASA, he served from 1974 to 1999 as a Democratic United States Senator from Ohio; in 1998, he flew into space again at age 77. > Before joining NASA, Glenn was a distinguished fighter pilot in World War II, t... ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/67 "2022-12-15T07:59:42Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I mean, Ronald Reagan was President of the Screen Actor’s Guild at 36 - to me, that’s not “actor who got into politics”, that’s “politician who did some acting Ronald Reagan wasn’t a bad SAG president he mainly did what we told/wanted him him to do " James Garner in a Tom Snyder interview ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133/68 "2022-12-15T08:02:29Z")
could you imagine Kardashian or one of their spawn running one day? I know their dad was somewhat a unofficial advisor to some in the la city council … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-failure-of-celebrity-candidates/976133.md?page=3)