At a time when national politics has taken center stage, it seems as if a growing number of elected officials are celebrities interested only in inflating their own status and being worth even more, not about it the actual legislature and/or government.
There are a number of reasons people run for office. Activists and supporters want comprehensive reform. Moderates and conservatives want to maintain the status quo. But now more people seem to be running for their own personal gain – to increase their status, wealth and influence.
This is especially true for celebrities. We’ve seen individuals like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood actually win and hold state positions. Donald Trump was President and now supports the candidacy of Dr. Mehmet Oz for one of the Pennsylvania Senate seats.
Now, obviously, anyone has the opportunity to run for elected office for any of the reasons listed above. However, celebrities do not live the same lifestyles or face the same issues as many of the people they would represent in the county or state they are running for. Many make millions of dollars each year, live in mansions and own multiple businesses and work with big companies and brands.
It baffles me that voters continue to express their support for these candidates and are not alienated by their comparatively inflated status and worth. There isn’t a single name mentioned above with a net worth less than $375 million – something most people don’t experience and never will.
Oz is currently still trying to secure the GOP nomination for one of Pennsylvania’s Senate seats: But how connected is he to Pennsylvania voters? He has lived most of his life out of state.
It appears that Oz did what was necessary to run for the Pennsylvania Senate seat. However, most people don’t see it that way. They still resonate with the TV personality because they feel like they know him.
This is one of the main reasons celebrities run for office, simply because they have a notoriety. Voters see these celebrities on TV and in movies and think they understand what someone’s priorities are and what their agenda is because they tuned in so long to see them.
Now, I’m not saying that the celebrities running for office don’t have an ounce of altruism in their bodies. Oz said the main reason he is running for office is how the United States is handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
That is a noble goal. We’re still losing loved ones to COVID-19 — the current death toll is close to a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But as noble as their intentions are, celebrities like these are often unrepresentative of the states and counties in which they run. They may have some platform or key issues they want to work on solving, but many of them don’t align with the people they hope to represent. Simply put, they don’t understand the same socioeconomic struggles with the people they choose to represent
Celebrities can be great activists and advocates for certain issues, and heavily use their platform to raise awareness of those issues, but that doesn’t always necessarily qualify them to govern.
Sean Gilley (he/him) is a senior studying Politics and Economics with a degree in Computer Science.
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