Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens will not run for Congress to succeed Rep. Pete Olson, a Republican from Texas. The state Republican Party reportedly tried to recruit Clemens, but the legendary pitcher cited the current divisive political climate as one reason he would not go for it.
Even though Clemens will not run, however, the GOP is onto something here: They should pursue more retired professional athletes and coaches to run for Congress.
Pro athletes have plenty of advantages when it comes to running for office. Name recognition is a major upside, as is a positive public view of an athlete with good character. They have experience dealing with the media and have been in the public spotlight for years before, which negates the threat of scandal. If there is any dirt on them, it’s probably already public. The latter part is why someone such as Curt Schilling isn’t a good choice, but recruiting athletes can be effective at times.
Over the years, pro athletes have been key players for the Republican Party. The late Jack Kemp, a former Buffalo Bills quarterback, served in Congress for almost 20 years, served one term as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and was the GOP’s vice presidential nominee in 1996. The late Jim Bunning was a Hall of Fame pitcher with several teams who went on to serve Kentucky in both the House of Representatives and Senate for a combined 24 years. Steve Largent, a Hall of Fame wide receiver with the Seattle Seahawks, represented Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District from 1994 to 2002 and lost a close gubernatorial election.
In 2018, former NFL wide receiver and Republican Anthony Gonzalez was elected to represent Ohio’s 16th Congressional District. His days as a standout wide receiver at Ohio State gave him added name recognition. Meanwhile, Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat, won Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, an R+5 district. Allred spent five seasons in the NFL (2006 to 2010) and before that, he was a standout linebacker at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
As political scientist and University of Wisconsin professor David Canon points out, athletes garner more media coverage than traditional candidates, which is especially advantageous when running against an incumbent, according to the Dallas Morning News. Typically incumbents dominate the media coverage, as one July 2004 study concluded, so a background in professional athletics can be a major boost for a challenger.
That name recognition and extra media coverage also helped former college football coach Tommy Tuberville lead the Alabama U.S. Senate primary polling. Virtually anyone with an R next to their name would be able to oust incumbent Sen. Doug Jones in 2020, but the strategy could be replicated in other places.
There are plenty of conservative former pro athletes across the country worth pursuing and perhaps others who are not as well known nationally who would be good for the job as well.
Peyton Manning, the NFL’s all-time regular season touchdown pass leader, would be one example. Manning, a friend of former Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and President Trump, has had his name floated as a potential successor for Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander. Manning donated to Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, played college ball for the Tennessee Volunteers, and is well liked throughout the country, so he’d be a worthy political candidate.
The same could be said for Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow. His pro baseball career is going nowhere. While he lives in the Florida 4th Congressional District (currently represented by a Republican, Rep. John Rutherford), the Christian conservative would be eligible to run in any district in the state. If anyone can attract media coverage and have a spotless image under public scrutiny, it’s Tebow.
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway’s name has come up plenty of times in Colorado; although he shot down running for governor in 2018, perhaps the threat of Republicans losing the Senate in 2022 would be enough for him to challenge Sen. Michael Bennet (assuming Bennet won’t be president).
Outside these three big names, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of former pro athletes who could be good fits for office. This isn’t to say every politician should be a former pro athlete, or vice versa. Still, there are a few good names that come to mind.
National Baseball Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, a longtime New York Yankee who now serves as the co-chairman of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and was previously a member of Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. Tim Thomas, a Michigan native and Idaho resident, is a libertarian-minded conservative and Glenn Beck fan who has stated the “federal government has grown out of control.” Jon Runyan, a former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman, represented New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District for two terms before declining to seek a third term in 2014 (his district is now represented by Democrat Andy Kim). Former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards considered running for Senate in Missouri last year. New England Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson is 38 years old, African American, spoke at CPAC earlier this year, and frequently appears on Fox News.
This strategy wouldn’t preclude the GOP from finding female candidates, either. Mary Lou Retton, a West Virginia native who took gold in women’s gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics, appeared at the 2004 Republican National Convention and was a part of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under George W. Bush. Retton has also lived in Houston, and several congressional districts in the Houston area are represented by Democrats. There’s also 2006 Olympic two-woman bobsledding silver medalist Shauna Rohbock, a former pro soccer player (for the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association in 2003). A Utah native, Rohbock is a soldier in the Army National Guard and a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Given that Utah’s 4th Congressional District (previously represented by Mia Love) is an R+13 controlled by a Democrat (Ben McAdams), perhaps Rohbock could make a run there.
Surely, there are less famous names out there interested in making runs as well. The GOP should actively recruit them as long as their candidates have clean records and can help the party win in November 2020.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelance writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
