Comedian Bill Maher’s attempt to unseat a six-term Republican congressman may end up helping him get re-elected instead.
The host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” announced Friday that he would attempt to unseat Rep. John Kline of Minnesota as part of his “Flip a District” campaign.
Maher said he chose Kline because of his opposition to gay marriage, the Affordable Care Act and a raise in the minimum wage, among other things.
“He’s wrong about everything,” he said in a live broadcast of the show.
Already, Kline has tried to use the selection to raise money for his own campaign.
“As promised, Maher is turning his liberal guns on our districts and using his TV megaphone and million-dollar war chest to defeat me in November,” Kline wrote in an email to supporters, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Kline is favored to win, regardless. He’s running against Democrat Mike Obermueller, whom he beat in 2012, 54 to 46 percent.
Election forecaster Larry Sabato ranks Kline’s seat as “Likely Republican,” while the Rothenberg Political Report ranks it as “Safe Republican.”
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Kline has raised $2.2 million so far this election cycle, while Obermueller has raised just $613,075.
