Almost immediately after announcing his candidacy, and before any real campaigning, Kid Rock is already leading the polls against incumbent Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow.
In a new poll from Delphi Analytica, the Michigan favorite, Kid Rock, or Robert James Ritchie, is polling four points ahead of sitting Senator Stabenow, with 30% to her 26%, while 44% declined to answer or were undecided.
“Of respondents who stated a preference between Debbie Stabenow and Robert Ritchie, 54% stated they would vote for Ritchie while 46% said they would vote for Debbie Stabenow. These results could indicate that Ritchie is a popular figure in Michigan, Debbie Stabenow is unpopular, or some combination of concurrent trends. The relatively large, 44%, number of undecided respondents may be due to the early stages of the campaign,” Delphi Analytica reported.
The poll was conducted from July 14-18 — beginning just two days after the Macomb County musician announced his intention to run in the Republican primary.
As of April, Stabenow had a 47% approval rating and a 38% disapproval rating, according to the Morning Consult.
Ritchie took to Twitter on July 12 to verify that a new website, KidRockForSenate.com, is legitimate. The website reads, “are you scared?” along with a photo of the rocker next to a stuffed deer. The site also links to a web store to buy campaign merchandise.
The “Bawitdaba” singer later tweeted what appears to be his campaign platform in a short, but sweet, manner.
“I believe if you work your butt off and pay taxes, you should be able to easily understand and navigate the laws, tax codes, health care and anything else the government puts in place that affects us all,” Ritchie tweeted of his political stance.
https://t.co/RRVgISDFeq pic.twitter.com/zPDlqeHzJl
— Kid Rock (@KidRock) July 17, 2017
Michigan was once considered to be a solid blue state, going for Barack Obama in both of his elections. It is now a battleground, which Bernie Sanders won in a landslide during the primaries, and President Donald Trump won in the general. This has been widely credited to the state largely consisting of blue collar voters who feel forgotten and neglected by “business as usual.”
While a new Rasmussen Reports national survey found that voters are not overly thrilled about electing more celebrities, someone like Ritchie may defy their expectations. He is widely considered a “hometown hero” of sorts, highly regarded for his donations to worthy causes — especially veterans organizations.
His straightforward approach is also very reminiscent of the man who is now occupying the Oval Office.
Ritchie visited the White House in April along with Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent, making waves when the group mockingly posed in front of a portrait of Hillary Clinton.
Posted by Sarah Palin on Wednesday, April 19, 2017
This was not the musician’s first time openly sharing his political opinions — a rare and refreshing move for celebrities holding right-wing beliefs.
As we previously reported, Ritchie was a major supporter of the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.
“My feeling: Let the motherf*cking business guy run it like a f*cking business,” Kid Rock told Rolling Stone during an interview in February, 2016. “I’m digging Trump. I feel like a lot of people, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, feel like if you get Hillary or Bernie, or you get Rubio or Cruz or whoever, there’s going to be the same sh*t.”
In December, Kid Rock began selling red hats in his merch store that said, “Make America Badass Again” — a play on Trump’s iconic “Make America Great Again” hats. He also sold shirts that read “GOD GUNS & TRUMP,” and one which showed the electoral map and labeled the red areas as “America” and the blue as “Dumbfuckistan.”
Due to overwhelming demand, we decided to go ahead and actually make this & other current event merch: https://t.co/7sQgqk0SLk pic.twitter.com/0PukiHvHCb
— Kid Rock (@KidRock) December 5, 2016
Another shirt in his highly political merch store reads “_onald Trump,” then adds, “The ‘D’ is missing because it’s in every hater’s mouth.”
There is a rebellion happening against the swamp — and what better way to rebel than with a crass, long haired, political outsider with a sex-tape who wants to Make America Great Again? Those who are discounting Ritchie’s run are likely the same types who gave Hillary Clinton a 85% chance of winning the election or printed and sent out ‘Madam President‘ commemorative issues of their magazine.
Those paying attention to the current political climate outside the swamp are already preparing their “His Name is Senator Kiiiiiid Rock” headlines.
