Robert Ritchie, more commonly known by his stage name — Kid Rock — is leading in a hypothetical matchup with incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow, according to a new poll by Delphi Analytica.
Some Michigan GOP members hoped that Ritchie would run for Senate against incumbent Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2018. On July 12, Ritchie tweeted that his rumored run for Senate in Michigan was an “absolute yes.”
While Ritchie tweeted that his Senate run would definitely happen, many still have doubts. Ritchie’s alleged campaign website only had paraphernalia for sale, and was allegedly run by entertainment company Warner Bros. He had also yet to file anything with the FEC to make his campaign official.
Regardless, the mere threat of Ritchie making a run at a Michigan Senate seat was enough to cause Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) alarm. Warren compared Ritchie to President Donald Trump, saying that while it’s possible Ritchie could be doing this to promote a new album, many thought Trump was running to promote “The Apprentice” during the 2016 presidential elections.
Warren’s fears may be substantial, as data from Delphi Analytica poll conducted July 14-18 of 668 Michigan residents showed that Ritchie is ahead in the polls over Stabenow by 8 percentage points.
According to Delphi Analytica, in a hypothetical matchup, 44 percent of respondents did not want to give an answer as to their voting preference or were undecided. Among those who did respond, Ritchie led Stabenow by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent.
The news was exciting enough that even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted out the news.
IT’S HAPPENING! New poll has Kid Rock up by 4 over Debbie Stabenow
Should he run for office, and win, Ritchie would be far from the first celebrity to do so. Famed GOP President Ronald Reagan was an actor on the silver screen before he won the governorship of California in 1966, and later became president of the United States in 1981. Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger became the Republican governor in California in 2003 and held that office until 2011. Saturday Night Live writer and star Al Franken was elected as a Democrat in Minnesota in 2008, and is still there today.