Kid Rock's Confusing Run For Senate, Explained
Sound the alarm bell! Or don't. Kid Rock — the white country rapper — may or may not be running for a Senate seat in Michigan. After weeks of speculation around his new website, kidrockforsenate.com, Kid Rock (legally Robert Ritchie) has issued another murky statement about a potential Senate run. So what is Rock doing? Here's what you need to know.
Rock Has Long Been Involved In Politics As An Artist
Rock has seemingly been interested in politics for a long time. Politico reports that when Mitt Romney asked for Rock's endorsement in 2012 ahead of the Michigan Primary, "Ritchie invited him to his Metro Detroit home and peppered him with a list of policy questions, sleeping on the decision before informing Romney the next day he would support him."
After getting behind the candidacy of Ben Carson early in the last presidential election, Rock came to support Trump and performed at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Rock also visited the White House with Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent in April.
Rock's Name Was First Floated For The Seat In February
Rock's name wasn't floated for public office until February of this year at the Michigan Republican Convention, when Tea Party activist and Michigan Republican delegate Wes Nakagiri brought Rock's name up as someone who could possibly run against Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow in 2018.
Nakagiri, who dressed as Hillary Clinton in an orange jumpsuit at the RNC, told the Detroit Free Press that Rock "has name ID, is an out-of-the-box idea, and would kind of get rid of that stodgy Republican image… I'll bet you he would generate as much excitement as Trump did."
Rock's Unveiled A 'Campaign Website' In Mid-July
After the Michigan convention, attention died down. But on July 12th, Kid Rock himself brought the prospect of his run for office roaring back into the headlines with what is now the preferred form of political communication — a tweet:
Rock apparently set up a campaign website, but after further exploration, sites like Vox found that the site was hosted by Warner Bros. and functioned only to link back to Rock's Warner Bros. merchandise website.
Other journalists found that Rock had neither registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) nor had conversations about the prospect with prominent Michigan Republicans. These facts led many to believe the site was part of a marketing ploy.
Rock refuted the skeptics in a blog post, saying he still has time to file and that his merchandising was all part of his master plan:
First of all, I've got 15 days from my announcement to file paperwork with the FEC! Second, I'm not signed to Warner Bros!!! – which simple fact-checking would have revealed. I have recently worked out a unique deal with BMG, Broken Bow, CAA and Live Nation to release music ON MY TERMS. Like politicians write books during their campaigns, I'm planning on putting out music during mine and IT ALL STARTS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. It's not a hoax, it's a strategy and marketing 101!
That night, Rock released two new songs that were part of an announcement for a new tour.
We Swear It's Maybe Real?
Rock continued to post politically flirtatious tweets — most notably a dig at his would-be competitor Senator Debbie Stabenow (who acknowledged Rock in a tweet after his initial announcement) and what seemed to be a set of policy positions:
Rock Has Established A Voter Registration Nonprofit
In a statement issued Thursday, Rock seemed to be genuinely interested in running, saying that he will continue to investigate the possibility but has not yet committed to a run. In the meantime, he is creating a non-profit to register voters at his concerts:
I decided to take a hard look to see if there was real support for me as a candidate and my message or if it was just because it was a fresh new news story… We have over a year left until an actual election, so my first order of business is to get people engaged and registered to vote… During this time while exploring my candidacy for US Senate, I am creating a 501(c)(4) — a non-profit organization for the promotion of voter registration.
Rock also addressed the clear promotional aspects of the campaign and website, explaining that any political campaign he launches can be used to promote himself and his goods:
Since the announcement, the media has speculated this was a ploy to sell shirts or promote something. I can tell you, I have no problem selling Kid Rock shirts and yes, I absolutely will use this media circus to sell/promote whatever I damn well please (many other politicians are doing the same thing, they just feed you a bunch of bullshit about it).
So Will He Do It? Can He?
Given his latest statement, it seems like Kid Rock has a genuine interest in running for the seat, and numbers seem to back him up too. In a mock poll by Delphi Analytica, Rock came out 4 points ahead of the Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow.
But obviously, Rock would face some obstacles. As Politico notes, there's extensive dirt and ammunition that can be used against Rock:
There's the sex tape he starred in, the arrest following a Waffle House brawl, the no-contest plea to charges he assaulted a DJ at a Nashville strip club, the messy divorce from Pamela Anderson. If that weren't enough, he has offered other forms of ammunition to potential foes in interviews over the years, such as when he told Rolling Stone of his distaste for Beyoncé ("I like skinny white chicks with big tits") and gave the New Yorker his stance on same-sex marriage ("I don't give a fuck if gay people get married. I don't love anybody who acts like a fuckin' faggot").
And as The Detroit News has found, there's more to be dug up. According to a report, Rock has only voted in two primaries since 2002 and didn't vote in the 2016 primary.
But what about the real constraints? Has he run out of time? As of this post, Rock still hasn't registered with the FEC. Luckily for Rock, it seems like he still has time. According to FEC spokeswoman Judith Ingram, who spoke to PolitiFact, a candidate is only required to register 15 days after they've received or spent $5,000 towards their campaign. It's unclear whether or not Rock has received or spend campaign funds, but under the assumption that he hasn't, the countdown clock for registration hasn't started ticking.
While it seems like Rock may be ready to take the plunge into the race for public office, Rock writes on his blog that we'll have to wait up to six week to hear if he's actually ready to pull the trigger:
We will be scheduling a press conference in the next 6 weeks or so to address this issue amongst others, and if I decide to throw my hat in the ring for US Senate, believe me… it's game on mthrfkers. — Kid Rock
