Tuberville, a former college football coach, said that Trump winning showed that anyone can do it. A lot of people were helped by President Trump. He is not a lawyer. He had never been in politics. He is an outsider. That influenced my decision.
I started a trend, right? Tuberville said something.
After spending a decade and a half in the House, Roy Blunt moved up to the Senate's No. 4 position. More celebrities are considering running for office because of Trump's background.
The logical response to the election of President Trump would be people who don't have political experience but have wide recognition. Two House Republicans are vying in the primary to replace him, but they are behind the state's former governor and attorney general.
Running as a household name is a good way to raise money for a race. They can raise money more easily and claim to be outsiders than their competition, because of their name recognition and personal wealth. With the wide reach of cable talk shows, well-known candidates can communicate easily to voters without paying for advertisements.
The vetting and media scrutiny that comes with running for office is something that celebrity candidates are not used to.
The most expensive walk in Washington is from the House to the Senate according to Sen. Lindsey Graham. Celebrity can give you an instant attention, but it can also have a downside. You have to prove that you are more than a celebrity.
Walker is facing questions about his academic credentials in the Georgia Senate race. Oz has to battle skepticism about his promotion of dubious remedies on his show, not to mention his Pennsylvania residency, given his years living in New Jersey.
The celebrity doctor said that he grew up in the Philadelphia region, voted in the state and went to graduate school there. Oz defended his medical advice. He told a Senate panel that he has given the products he promotes to his family, but that sometimes they don't have the scientific muster to present as fact.
There is a stark knowledge gap when it comes to writing legislation, which is something any candidate who came to Congress through entertainment or sports would face. Longtime lawmakers warn that the erosion of policy prowess could lead to further partisanship in a chamber that is already bitterly divided.
The celebrities don't come here with an interest in legislating. They come here with an interest in getting TV clips, because they have spent their entire career doing that, said Sen. Chris Murphy, who began his career in the House after time in the state legislature.
As more people with no experience in cutting a deal come here, it will make the place even worse.
The retirements of five Senate Republicans next year are all former House members with decades of bipartisanship under their belts.
Several new members of the Senate GOP conference have no legislative experience. J.D. Vance is running for office in Ohio.
Oz is an outsider and has spent his career empowering patients and audiences alike to change their lives for the better, according to a statement from a spokesman. Dr. Oz will make D.C. more accountable when he becomes the next Senator for Pennsylvania because he believes in the people-first mentality.
Tim Ryan said that fame outside of politics gets his foot in the door, but he still has to perform.
Trump had that. Ryan, who's spent 18 years in the House, said that he was able to convince a large part of the country that he was the real deal. He warned that you have to be able to perform when the lights come on. People will love you if you're a celebrity. You're going to pass muster if they take a good close look at you.
Democrats have seen celebrity candidates on the other side of the aisle.
Mike Bloomberg, a billionaire who was running for president, got endorsements from Hill Democrats. The New York City mayor was also served by the man. Perhaps the most famous examples are former senator Al Franken and pro basketball player Bill Bradley.
Some Democratic candidates have achieved rock star status just by running for higher office, for example former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who recently launched a campaign for Texas governor after two unsuccessful bids for the White House and the Senate.
When you become a candidate, how you handle that can be important, because it can be hard to go from a position where people like you and say kind things to you. I am not suggesting that a football star or a TV personality cannot do that, but I do think that it is more difficult for them.
Walker and Oz don't mean that celebrity will become a requirement for GOP Senate viability. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) has Trump's backing in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Roger Marshall of Kansas are all first-term Republican senators.
Cramer said he appreciates higher-profile Senate candidates for one reason, that being elected to Congress isn't the biggest thing that's ever happened to them. I think that is nice.
Cramer said that Donald Trump broke the mold. I don't know if he's the new mold, but he definitely broke the old one.
