# Were there ever any serious celebrity candidates for U.S. President? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748 "2017-03-09T02:34:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/21 "2017-03-09T17:41:11Z")
If we’re going to consider non-POTUS elected offices: Jesse Ventura, wrestler, governor of Minnesota. Clint Eastwood, actor, director, and producer, mayor of Carmel, California. Sonny Bono, entertainer, mayor of Palm Springs, CA, and U.S. representative. Bill Fries, better known as country singer C. W. McCall, mayor of Ouray, CO. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/22 "2017-03-09T18:45:58Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > If we’re going to consider non-POTUS elected offices: Well actually Arnold Schwarzenegger is the biggest recent name (recently California governor), and he could well have been a candidate for President except he doesn’t meet the Constitutional requirements (he is not a natural born citizen). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/23 "2017-03-09T18:51:34Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Horace Greenly? Winfield Scott? Winfield Scott Hancock? Grant? > > I would argue that Ike and GW both had political experience before office; Ike’s position was a political and diplomatic one and I think GW was a delegate to the Continental Congress. But GW wasn’t known for his work in politics (neither was Ike). Washington was famous because he was credited for winning independence; his political career was always a sideline for him. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/24 "2017-03-09T20:31:09Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > It seems Lehrer wrote that song in 1965 at the latest, the same year Murphy took up his Senate office. Lehrer performed the piece in in a concert in 1965 for which there is a YouTube clip. I \*think \*that well pre-dates Reagan’s own political aspirations though Reagan was an outspoken supporter of other politicians since the 1950s, if not earlier. Surely precisely at that time Reagan was on the verge of launching his bid for the Governorship of California? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/25 "2017-03-09T20:44:47Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Horace Greenly? Winfield Scott? Winfield Scott Hancock? Grant? > > I would argue that Ike and GW both had political experience before office; Ike’s position was a political and diplomatic one and I think GW was a delegate to the Continental Congress. Grant had some kind of administration position before running, and I think may have already been considering his run at that point, and like Ike and Washington did have a highly political position serving in the military, but except for George they all gained their celebrity status from their military positions prior to formally entering the political arena. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/26 "2017-03-09T21:27:21Z")
Again, what disqualifies a reality show host from the question? Unless you’re arguing that, despite winning, he was never a serious candidate. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/27 "2017-03-10T04:05:42Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Well actually Arnold Schwarzenegger is the biggest recent name (recently California governor), and he could well have been a candidate for President except he doesn’t meet the Constitutional requirements (he is not a natural born citizen). I didn’t mention him because **Princess Perfume** already had. ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Perfume](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/princess_perfume/32/16518_2.png) [@Princess\_Perfume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Perfume)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/28 "2017-03-10T14:27:51Z")
Yeah. The “natural-born” requirement rules out the Governator and several other celebs. As i mentioned, I was talking about historical elections, not 2016. ---
**Author:** ![LiliesOfTheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@LiliesOfTheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiliesOfTheField)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/29 "2017-03-11T21:04:23Z")
Would Gracie Allen fit your question? Her campaign for President was a joke, but she got a fair number of real votes. Some were protest votes and many were feminist votes, so her campaign had some major political ramifications ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/30 "2017-03-11T21:22:40Z")
I think the nature of celebrity has dramatically changed over the decades. 120+ years ago certain politicians and certain preachers _were_ the equivalent and what we consider a celebrity today. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748/31 "2017-03-11T21:24:52Z")
Joe Walsh of the Eagles ran a mock Presidential campaign in 1980, even though he was only 33 and wasn’t eligible. He also ran for Vice President in 1992. > **[Joe Walsh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Walsh#Running_for_office)** > > Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. He was also part of the New Zealand band Herbs. In the 1990s, he was a member of the short-lived supergroup The Best. > Walsh has also experienced success both as a solo artist and as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of other a... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-ever-any-serious-celebrity-candidates-for-u-s-president/781748.md?page=1)