Finally, a Political Action Committee for men who don’t dare to go bare (on their face, that is).
On Wednesday, a Missouri man filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Committee to form the Bearded Entrepreneurs for the Advancement of a Responsible Democracy (BEARD) PAC, a bipartisan independent expenditure-only committee.
“With the resurgence of beards in popular culture and among today’s younger generation, we believe the time is now to bring facial hair back into politics,” Jonathan Sessions, the PAC’s founder, said in a press release. “We haven’t had a bearded major party candidate run for president since Charles Evans Hughes ran and lost in 1916, and there has been a recent wave of retirements amongst bearded Congressmen, including David Obey and Steve LaTourette. Our hope is that we can start to reverse this disturbing trend.”
The organization is so passionate about supporting only scruffy-faced candidates that they will immediately drop their support of a candidate if they decided to shave.
“We feel that individuals with the dedication to grow and maintain a quality beard are the kinds of individuals that would show dedication to the job of public service,” BEARD PAC Communications Director Andy Shapero told Red Alert Politics via email. “Shaving their beard would serve to show us they are no longer dedicated to serving the public good and thus undeserving of our support.”
Candidates looking for an endorsement from BEARD PAC must also be sporting a legitimate beard – mustaches, soul patches and five-o’clock shadows do not qualify. Shapero said a goatee will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s been 125 years since our last bearded President, Benjamin Harrison, was elected,” Shapero said. “We’re hoping that with our support, bearded individuals will shrug off over a century of political irrelevance and start running for office again.”
The beard – it’s not just for “No Shave November” anymore.
