Kid Rock Should Run For Senate: GOP Campaign Operative

WASHINGTON, DC — The head of a major Super PAC aligned with Senate GOP leadership encouraged performer Kid Rock to run for Senate against Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. The comments from Steven Law in an interview Friday on C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" program were surprising. But Law insisted he was quite serious, saying his group would "be actually very interested" in a Kid Rock candidacy.

Kid Rock has made some moves to look at the race, including setting up a campaign website and creating what he said is a nonprofit group to promote voter registration. He posted a statement on his website on July 26 saying he would announce a decision about the race in six weeks or so.

Law pointed to a recent poll in which the entertainer trails Stabenow by eight points, saying it's "not a bad place to start out."

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Law said he hadn't spoken with Kid Rock. But he said that despite the entertainer's redneck image, "the truth of the matter is that he's done a lot in his home state philanthropically, he's a pretty smart guy, he thinks about policy, and he's a shrewd businessman."

Law is a former chief of staff to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and runs a political action committee dedicated to protecting and bolstering the Senate GOP majority. In next year's midterms, Republicans will have to protect two endangered incumbents while playing offense against 10 Democratic Senate incumbents in states won by President Donald Trump.

Stabenow is one of those, but she will be tough to beat. Several other Republicans have announced or are considering race, but in Kid Rock Republicans would have a well-known and attention-grabbing candidate.

"He hasn't stayed this long in the business that he's been in by actually living the life that he looks like he lives when he's on stage. And so I certainly wouldn't count him out. We'd be pretty interested in his candidacy," Law said. "So if you're watching, Kid, we hope you run."

In response, Lauren Passalacqua, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said, "We're not surprised Republicans are disappointed with their options in Michigan, but we don't think Kid Rock will help."

Photo by Robb D. Cohen/Invision/AP