Celebrities have long flirted with political leadership, often at our urging. From Arnold Schwarzenegger, to Kanye West, to Antonio Sabato Jr., to our current commander in chief, both the public and the stars themselves seem to want to turn popular fame into political power.
Today, we can add actress-turned-activist Shailene Woodley to the list of campaign-minded celebs. In an article in The New York Times, the "Big Little Lies" actress revealed that she has indeed contemplated dipping her toes into the mire of politics.
"There was a point last year when I was working for Bernie Sanders where I thought, 'Huh, maybe I'll run for Congress in a couple years,'" she said. "And you know what? I'm not going to rule it out."
Woodley has not shied away from expressing her political views in the past. In 2016, the actress was arrested for protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock. She also believes in the power of crystals and the need to let the sun periodically recharge your privates, so . . .
Although she has not decided if she will run for Congress, Woodley is holding onto the idea as a possibility in the future. "Who knows?" she said. "Life is big, and I'm young."
And this brings us back to a sometimes uncomfortable fact: Democrats have an even more pronounced (and perhaps sadder) desire to see their brightest stars become our political leaders than Republicans do. As the film, television and music industries seem dominated by stars who identify with being Democrat, there's certainly no shortage of rumored candidates, nor a lack of irrational enthusiasm for their likely slim prospects.
Here is a list of the candidates Democrats have gone crazy over — and not always with good reason.
1. George Clooney
Throughout his long career in Hollywood, the actor has faced his fair share of speculation — and fevered wishing — about a possible shift from performer to politician. His political activism over gun control and the violence in Darfur — which has earned him the Summit Peace Award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates — has only added fuel to these rumors. However, Clooney has no interest in a political career. "I’ve been asked that for almost 20 years now and the answer is just no," Clooney said during a conference for his film "Our Brand Is Crisis." "Who would ever want to live like that? I’m friends with a lot of those guys and I just think it’s hell."
2. Warren Beatty
In 1999, the actor and filmmaker flirted with the idea of running for president and had the backing of the Hollywood establishment at the time. Following the success of his film "Bulworth," where he played a senator losing his bid for re-election, Beatty expressed his interest in running for office. Although he was "thinking about [running] very seriously," the actor concluded "there certainly should be someone better" than him him to run for president.
3. Ashley Judd
In 2013, the actress considered challenging then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his Kentucky seat in the Senate. Judd's fans saw her as a powerful force that could defeat McConell, especially as her name and star power alone could result in a successful race. However, Democrats in the state weren't too enthusiastic for her campaign, calling her beliefs "too liberal" to win over rural parts of the state. Ultimately, Judd nixed her campaign, telling her fans via Twitter she was "focused on my family."
4. Jerry Springer
Although Springer ended his political career in 1977 after becoming the mayor of Cincinnati, the host of "The Jerry Springer Show" continued to toy with the idea of regaining his political presence. After considering running for the Senate in 2000 and 2004, Springer is now being urged by Ohio Democrats to run for governor in 2018. Although he has dismissed any notions of a possible campaigning, Springer said he will consider running if "needed by the party."
5. Mark Cuban
Ever since Donald Trump announced his campaign, talks of the "Shark Tank" star joining the political sphere were ever-present, as comparisons between the two were made. Although Cuban has vehemently disapproved of the association — he told Vice "Being compared to him is not a positive" — and has vaguely "denied" any interest in becoming president, he told The Washington Post, "sometimes you got to do what you got to do" in response to the swarm of fans calling for his campaign.
6. Cynthia Nixon
The "Sex and the City" star is rumored to be considering a run against Andrew Cuomo for New York Governor in 2018, an idea that has sent fans abuzz. Nixon has been vocal about her distaste for Cuomo's education policies and has even compared him to Secretary of Education Betsy Devos. Since the rumors first started to swirl, Nixon gave a noncommittal response to the prospect of her campaign. "I think there are a lot of people who would like me to run, and I think for a variety of reasons," she said, while appearing on NBC’s Today show.
7. Mark Zuckerberg
Following the announcement of his "personal challenge" to meet with everyday people across the country, rumors of his presidential campaign started to swirl. Talk of a possible bid for the presidency was only ignited as Politico reported the Facebook CEO hired Democratic pollster Joel Benenson — who was formerly an adviser to President Barack Obama and chief strategist for Hillary Clinton. Zuckerberg denied the rumors to Buzzfeed, saying he is "focused on building our community at Facebook and working on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative."
8. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
In an interview with GQ, The Rock suggested that running for president in 2020 is a "real possibility." Even though he explained he is unsure if he will actually run, considering "three-and-a-half years is a long ways away," someone filed a campaign with the Federal Election Commission on his behalf. Titled "Run the Rock 2020," the campaign was created by Kenton Tilford, who even created a slogan: "More poise, less noise." Yes, he has a history as a Republican, but according to Public Policy Polling, the wrestler-turned-actor has a chance of defeating Trump 42-37. No doubt his high returns were buoyed up by Democrats.
9. Oprah Winfrey
Billionaire, role model, living advertisement for the power of self-belief and a walking progressive multimedia empire, it's no wonder more than a few have called on Oprah Winfrey to take the wheel and steer us out of Trumpland. She's denied being interested in politics directly many times over the years, but the sad end to the 2016 election has her contemplating a change. Could 2020 be the year of Oprah? Maybe if you wish really hard.
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