Will Tim McGraw Campaign for Governor?
Tennesseans Seem Willing to Endorse Country Singer in 2010 Race
Dec 11, 2008
According to a report in The New Republic, country singer Tim McGraw is more than casually eyeing the prospect of launching a campaign for governor in his adopted state of Tennessee come 2010.
But per McGraw's publicist, such an election bid is not in the near future, because the singer wants his children to be older before taking on such a task. Still, that hasn't stopped poltical-news hounds from tossing the prospect around, and even the country star has discussed such a run on the record.
McGraw first mentioned his political aspirations in a February 2006 article in Esquire magazine. In that interview, "I think it's something I'd do well," McGraw shared. "I just think as governor of the state, there would be a lot more opportunities to make some decisions and change some things."
Country Singer Considers Political Campaign for Governor
A native of Louisiana, McGraw, some have said, thinks the timing may soon be right to take a break from making hit-country records and selling out country-music concerts with his wife and sometime duet-partner, Faith Hill, and throw his black cowboy hat into the gubernatorial arena.
In a Dec. 9, 2008, posting on The New Republic Web site, the ever-popular country singer "is seriously considering a run at the governor's mansion in 2010. He's been floating the idea for a few years now, but with the recent thrashing of lawyer Bob Tuke by Lamar Alexander in last month's senate race, Tennessee Dems have been casting about desperately for a high-profile Democrat not named Harold Ford to take on Bill Frist, who is almost certainly going to run."
Frist, who was a full-time cardiologist prior to entering the Tennessee political arena, is projected to score big with some voters in the Volunteer State in the next election. However, McGraw, like another high-profile politician-turned-actor with star appeal, former Tennessee Sen. Fred D. Thompson (1994-2003), may be just what the public desires.
Moreover, as writer Clay Risen noted in The New Republic, when it comes down to it, voters "could do a lot worse, I suppose, than the Indian Outlaw," referring to a nickname the singer garnered from one of his early hits of the same name.
Republicans Likely to Welcome McGraw's 'Star Power'
Dr. John R. Vile, an expert on constitutional law and author of the newly published, two-volume Encyclopedia of the First Amendment, said McGraw's identity as a country star versus an experienced politician could work in his favor--never mind whether he's viewed as qualified to serve within state government.
"(Country singer) Roy Acuff ran for governor in 1948," Vile observed during a Dec. 10, 2008, interview with Suite 101, "(and) Tex Ritter ran for both governor and senator. Al Gore Sr. used to entertain folks with his fiddle. ..."
Additionally, actor-turned-U.S. President Ronald Reagan, as well as bodybuilder/actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's current governor, and Jesse Ventura, a former pro wrestler who surprised many when, running on the Reform Party's ticket, he became Minnesota's 38th governor, "have all shown how positive name recognition in one area can sometimes translate into another," Vile added.
Country Musician Not the First Candidate for 'Singing Governor'
Similarly, Tennessee-based Gina K. Logue, former political reporter and a veteran broadcaster, said McGraw would be far from the first "singing governor" this nation's seen, if he were to become his state's highest executive authority.
"Jimmie Davis, composer of You Are My Sunshine, used this and his nickname as 'The Singing Governor' as his calling card in his career as a Louisiana politician," Logue said in a Dec. 11, 2008, interview. "It worked well, helping to propel Davis to two terms as governor."
Furthermore, she added, "John Hall, former lead singer of the pop group Orleans (which lists Still the One and Love Takes Time among its pop hits) is a Democratic Congressman from the state of New York. In fact, he raised a ruckus when George W. Bush, in 2004, and John McCain, in 2008, tried to use Still the One in their campaigns without his permission."
The late Sonny Bono, too, whose greatest music fame came as part of Sonny and Cher, served as mayor of Palm Springs, Calif., before using that post as a springboard to a U.S. House seat.
"By then," Logue noted, "Bono was a Republican whose politics were much different than those of his liberal ex-wife. And Martha Reeves, former lead singer of the Motown group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas-whose hits included Heat Wave and Dancing in the Streets-has served her hometown of Detroit as a city councilwoman since 2005."
Nevertheless, for those, including McGraw, whose initial name recognition may serve them well during preliminary polling, "the celebrity who would be an elected official must prove that he or she is more than just a dilettante who is irked at a traffic ticket or poor government funding of the arts and bone up on the details of the issues to avoid being dismissed as another flighty entertainer who got caught up in a whim," remarked Logue, who studied political science at Middle Tennessee State University.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill: Country Stars on the Campaign Trail?
From all indications, country music's McGraw, not unlike president-elect Barack Obama, will boast "pop-star appeal" during an election bid, Vile said, and that can certainly work in his favors. Many country artists, after all, are unafraid to get political when it comes to mixing music and politics.
Plus, when it comes to McGraw, it couldn't hurt to have the additional draw of a well-known wife to serve as the state's first lady, suggested Vile, regarding the interesting candidate choices that Tennesseans may have in the 2010 election.
"A heart surgeon (Bill Frist, former senate majority leader) or a musician?" pondered Vile, good-naturedly. "The latter certainly sounds more entertaining."
Sources
Personal communication, Gina K. Logue, Dec. 11, 2008.
Personal communication, John R. Vile, Dec. 10, 2008.
Risen, Clay. Quick-Draw, McGraw, posted Dec. 9, 2008, in The Plank section, The New Republic. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008, at http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/12/09/quick-draw-mcgraw.aspx
Vaughan, Benda. Who the hell is Tim McGraw? Esquire magazine, February 2006 issue.
 |
 |
 |
 |
