‘The Mayor’ is just the latest on the ballot
Celebrities have long been known to toss hats in ring
Courtney Rose upholds an American tradition: the election of entertainers to public office.
The fictional character, played by Brandon Micheal Hall, is a rapper running for mayor of his small California city because of its branding potential. Shockingly — especially to Courtney — he triumphs and becomes The Mayor in ABC’s new comedy series (Tuesday, 9:30 ET/PT).
Mayor Rose isn’t based on President Trump, a reality TV star who also was underestimated as a first-time candidate, or any other performer-turned-politician, executive producer Jeremy Bronson says.
“But it definitely draws from our social circumstances, our political culture right now.”
Courtney, who isn’t as famous as real-life-celebrities-turned-candidates, fits into a few familiar categories:
ENTERTAINER-IN-CHIEF
Courtney has something in common with current or former elected entertainers, including Trump; President Reagan (actor); Minnesota Sen. Al Franken (comedian, Saturday Night Live performer); California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (actor); Minnesota Gov. Jesse “The Body” Ventura (pro wrestler); Carmel, Calif., Mayor Clint Eastwood (actor); Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson (actor); and California Rep. Sonny Bono (singer, Cher’s ex-husband).
“The culture of celebrity (means) immediate name recognition and gives the advantage to someone coming from the entertainment sphere,” says Tom
Hollihan, a professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Voters may warm to celebrity candidates with the notion that “‘I may not know a lot about issues but I trust character,’ ” Holihan says. “In the case of Trump,
his actions ... seemed to resemble the character he played on The Apprentice: hard-talking, tough, willing to fire people.”
RAPPING & RUNNING
Courtney follows in the footsteps of hip-hop artists who have
sought office, including Waka Flocka Flame, who announced his presidential candidacy in 2015 before realizing he was too young to run, and Wyclef Jean, who was disqualified from running for president of Haiti in 2010 because of residency requirements.
“There are skills Courtney picked up as a struggling performer that are directly applicable,” Bronson says.
WINNING AND LOSING
As far as entertainers expecting publicity but probably not victory, Courtney shares a bond with radio superstar Howard Stern (1994 New York governor’s race) and comedian/actress Roseanne Barr (2012 Peace and Freedom Party presidential candidate).
But it was the 2003 gubernatorial recall free-for-all in California (of course!) that resulted in Schwarzenegger’s election. “That was definitely a race where you had all sorts of people coming out of the woodwork,” Bronson says. It’s not going to be the last time a performer seeks office: Lords of the Underground rapper Dupre “Doitall” Kelly has announced a run for Newark City Council, and Kid Rock is mulling a Senate candidacy in Michigan.
And, of course, there’s another potential blockbuster on the horizon: Kanye 2020.