12 Stars-Turned-Politicians

Oddly, most of them are Republican
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 4, 2012 2:55 PM CST
12 Stars-Turned-Politicians
This Friday, June 18, 2004, file picture shows former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura in Saratoga Springs, NY.   (AP Photo/Jim McKnight)

Despite the fact that celebrities almost always seem to lean left, Celebuzz reports that most stars who become politicians are actually Republican. A dozen Hollywood VIPs who ended up with DC connections:

  • George Murphy: The 1930s and ‘40s star was the first big actor to transition to politics, serving as a senator in the 1960s and ‘70s.
  • Sean Duffy: From reality TV to Washington, DC? Yep, it can happen. Duffy has appeared on two Real World series, is married to another Real World star, and is now in Congress.

  • Ben Jones: After playing Cooter on The Dukes of Hazzard, Jones was elected to Congress.
  • Fred Grandy: He served eight years in Congress after playing Gopher on The Love Boat, and now he works at a foreign policy think tank.
  • Fred Thompson: First he was a Senate lawyer, then he became a character actor. Then he was elected to the Senate … but left and went on Law & Order. In 2008, he ran for president, but now he’s back to acting.
  • Jesse Ventura: He went from wrestler and actor to mayor of a Minnesota town, then governor of the entire state.
Click for the entire list—including, of course, the one celebrity who became president. (More Jesse Ventura stories.)