Potential Senate candidate Kid Rock, a term that never becomes any less weird each time you write it, said Tuesday that he will not challenge Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow in next year’s election.
Rock, officially Robert Ritchie, claimed he had the backing of people in the White House and Steve Bannon, who reportedly had been in regular phone contact with the Detroit artist about his possible aspirations. But he told Howard Stern his merchandising of “Kid Rock for US Senate” garb and relevant political speech on stage amounted only to a fun ruse.
“I don’t want to make these people feel bad. F— no I’m not running for Senate! Are you f—ing kidding me? Like, who couldn’t f—ing figure that out?” he said, sounding amused. “I release a new album on November, whatever, third or something like that. I’m going on tour, too—which no one’s going to print.”
The album, Sweet Southern Sugar, comes out a week from Friday. A “Kid Rock announcement on KidRock.com” link displayed on “kidrockforsenate.com” now links to a promotional webpage announcing the album’s release and tour dates—for the humbly named “Greatest Show on Earth Tour”—beginning in January.
Rock said the summer and fall con was “the most creative thing I’ve ever done.” But he says there wasn’t an iota of seriousness to it.
“Since someone said I was going to run for Senate in Michigan, I’m like, f— it, let’s get some signs made, right? We start going with it,” he told Stern. Rock himself was the one who stoked speculation, though, with this tweet:
I have had a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is real… https://t.co/RRVgISDFeq The answer is an absolute YES. pic.twitter.com/uYCUg6mjW1
— Kid Rock (@KidRock) July 12, 2017
“I’m like, everyone gets their panties in a bunch. I have people that work for me, they’re on the in, I’m like, f— no we’re not doing it, but let’s roll with it for a little while, this is awesome. And I have one of them call me and he goes, ‘Dude, is this really happening?’ I’m like, you’re on the in! What the f— are you talking about?”
Rock, in terms so vulgar as to be absurd, added he might run in the future “if the left wing keeps f—ing with me.”
