But now it looks as if one potential candidate this cycle may Rock the party and its image for years to come — and it already has the Democrats terrified!
Robert Ritchie — aka “Kid Rock” — created quite the stir last week when he tweeted out a link to kidrockforsenate.com.
The site includes a spot to sign up for his email list and a link to buy some limited “Kid Rock for Senate” merchandise.
The 46-year-old musician from Michigan has publicly supported Republicans in the past, including Mitt Romney in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016.
But this would be his first foray into politics, running against incumbent Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow.
Some in the media have questioned if this is all just a publicity stunt.
He appeared to reply to the media with a statement on his website saying, “It’s not a hoax…”
Regardless, Senate Democrats are taking his announcement seriously, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who both emailed supporters with links to a joint fundraising page with Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
For his part, Kid Rock appears to be sticking with it at the moment, tweeting an image with what could be considered his first policy statement of the campaign:
What do you think?
If you lived in Michigan, would you support Kid Rock for Senate?
Does his blue-collar rough-edged rock and roll background give him an edge in Michigan, a state that Donald Trump turned red in 2016?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.