- Senator-elect JD Vance continues the tradition of celebrities intervening in Republican politics.
- His predecessors on Capitol Hill include actor Fred Thompson and singer Sonny Bono.
- Their pre-Congressional careers have included Broadway and reality shows and blockbuster films.
Newly elected Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio isn’t just replacing retired Senator Rob Portman in the 118th Congress. He joins a cadre of right-leaning actors, singers and reality TV personalities who have traded celebrities to secure positions in the Capitol.
Vance, who defeated Democratic challenger Tim Ryan in one of the roughest and most expensive Senate races of the 2022 midterms, initially wrote the controversial Appalachian ode “Hillbilly Elegy.” gained fame as the author of His 2016 memoir will become his Netflix movie in 2020, cementing his goodwill as an aspiring venture capitalist and non-profit founder entertainer.
While many lawmakers have written tell-all books and pseudo-presidential campaign manifestos throughout their political careers, Vance happened to get the first page turn before arriving in Washington.
But he is no pioneer.
Here are five other cultural figures, listed by when they joined Congress, who defeated Vance, who went on to become a Republican congressman.
