The U.S 2020 Election has proven to be very nerve-wracking for Americans and the world. Let’s look at five WWE superstars past and present who ran for office.
Before we continue, I’m focusing on U.S politics but yes, Ludvig Borga was in Finland’s parliament for several years in the 2000s.
Also, Bob Backlund who ran unsuccessfully up in Connecticut as well as Rick Steiner who ran successfully in Georgia–but aren’t listed here.
Jesse Ventura – Governor of Minnesota, 1999-2003
“The Body” was also the mayor of Brooklyn Park, MN from 1991-1995. During that time he was a color commentator for WCW.
The former Navy serviceman and Vietnam vet ran as a member of the center-aligned Reform Party, established in 1995 by Ross Perot, who ran two strong campaigns for President as a third-party candidate in 1992 and 1996.
Ventura would end up being the only member of the party to successfully secure a high office. He would later leave the party and join the state’s Independence Party.
Currently, Jesse Ventura is aligned with the left-leaning Green Party and recently shot an ad encouraging his fellow Minnesotans to go vote alongside other governors.
Kane – Mayor of Knox County, 2018-present
“The Big Red Machine” announced he was considering running for the mayor seat in Knox County—where Knoxville sits.
The city of Knoxville which is also the county seat has been in the hands of the Democrats since the early 2010s but the county as a whole leans heavily Republican and went to incumbent President Donald Trump in this election.
Despite his national popularity, he wasn’t a guaranteed pick for the Republican nomination. Kane squeaked out a win in 2018 with a 36.09-percent vote.
The election was an easier stroll as he took the mayorship with 66-percent of the vote.
Rhino – Attempted Run For 15th District Michigan House of Representatives, 2016
A former ECW and TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Rhino announced he would run for the 15th District seat in the MI House.
For perspective, the 15th District is in Wayne County and has been blue in every presidential election since 1932.
Even after the switch in ideologies of the two big major parties in the 1960s, it remained blue. Rhino was going to have a rough run if he sought to flip Wayne County.
He made it through the Republican primary but was expectedly clapped by Abdullah Hammoud (D) taking 38-percent of the vote to Hammoud’s 61.77-percent.
In the 2020 election, Wayne County remained blue and went to former Vice President Joe Biden. Rhino has aimed his sights on the Board of Trustees in Monroe Township.
During this election, Monroe Township—which sits in Newaygo County—went to incumbent President Trump.
Matt Morgan – Mayor of Longwood, 2018-present
If you don’t remember “The Blue Print” Matt Morgan, check out our Wrestling Salvage Yard! Morgan ran as a Republican in Longwood, FL and took the district 4 City Commissioner seat in 2017.
By 2019 he was mayor of Longwood and in the 2020 election, he is on the ballot for his old City Commissioner.
Longwood, FL has a population of almost 14,600 and is located in Seminole County. It appears that it is going blue in this election as the votes in Florida are still being tallied.
This would be the first time since Harry S. Truman’s run for the White House in 1948. Who knows how that will turn out for Morgan?
So, we have three mayors and a governor. I think we can go 4-1 here, folks!
Jerry Lawler – Attempted Run For Mayor of Memphis, 1999
Goddamn it…hey, three out of five isn’t bad. Back in 1999, Lawler sought the seat of Mayor of Memphis–which is a step down from being King of Memphis.
He aimed to make Memphis safer, do something about the roads, and improve education and business.
The King’s story was similar to Rhino’s. See, Memphis is like my home city of Birmingham—a Southern city that is mostly Black and has leaned Democrat for most of its existence. Lawler was running as a Republican.
When Lawler ran, Memphis had a Black population hovering around the 54-60-percent mark, had been gone blue in 1992 and remains in that way today.
Most importantly, he was running into a wall in Willie Wilbert Herenton.
W.W. Herenton was the first Black mayor of Memphis taking the seat in 1991. This is when Lawler’s USWA promotion was still running shows, mind you. Herenton had gone undefeated since then.
If anything, Lawler was a well-known figure in the city. He was the King! The Mt. Rushmore of Memphis-born superstars is Lawler, Flair, DJ Paul, and Juicy J.
The King got clapped in this election. He only took 11.7-percent of the ballots but managed to beat twelve other candidates.
Hereton took a little over 45-percent of the vote and would end his political career with five terms as mayor. If one clapping was enough, ten years later he entered the special election for mayor.
He took 4-percent of the vote and came in fifth with AC Wharton winning with 60-percent of the vote. As expected, the seat and Shelby County went to Biden in this election.
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