Musician Kid Rock on Wednesday has become the latest “Rock” celebrity to express interest in jumping into politics.
Musician Kid Rock on Wednesday has become the latest “Rock” celebrity to express interest in jumping into politics.
“I have had a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is real… http://kidrockforsenate.comThe answer is an absolute YES,” he tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
In a follow-up tweet, the 46-year-old Michigan native added: “I will have a major announcement in the near future.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, there appears to be no Federal Election Committee records filed under “Kid Rock” or his legal name Robert James Ritchie or Robert Ritchie.
Judith Ingram, a spokeswoman for the FEC, confirmed to CNN that the FEC has not seen a filing under Kid Rock yet, but suggested checking back Thursday morning. She also said a filing like this “would first go to the Secretary of the Senate, which is the entry point for Senate filings.” A call to the Secretary of Senate’s office was not immediately returned.
The website Kid Rock referred to in his tweet features a photo of the musician — sporting a hat, aviator sunglasses and a leather jacket — next to a stuffed moose, sitting on a blue chair (decorated with stars). The website logo reads “Kid Rock ’18 For US Senate.” Page visitors can also purchase swag, including stickers, shirts, lawn signs and caps that read “Kid Rock for US Senate.” The link to purchase apparel redirects visitors to the musician’s Warner Bros. Records website.
When asked for further details by CNN, a publicist for Kid Rock said in an email: “As of right now, please refer to https://www.facebook.com/kidrock/. More soon!”
The artist has previously been floated as a potential opponent to Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow who’s up for re-election next year.
Wes Nakagiri, a Michigan Tea Party activist, told the Detroit Free Press that the Trump candidacy could be “a template” for a Kid Rock candidacy.
“I’ll bet you he would generate as much excitement as Trump did,” he told the paper in February.
Sarah Anderson, deputy chief of staff for the Michigan Republican Party, told CNN in an email: “We have not had any conversations with Kid Rock so I cannot speak to the validity of this.”
Kid Rock, a supporter of President Donald Trump, performed at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He visited the White House with Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent in April.
Kid Rock’s social media announcement comes one day after a West Virginia resident created a campaign committee called “Run The Rock 2020” to draft actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a presidential candidate in 2020.
Speculation around the Rock as a presidential nominee ticked up in May, when GQ published an article with the headline “Dwayne Johnson for President!”
“I think it’s a real possibility,” Johnson told the publication when asked if he would ever run for president of the United States.
