WASHINGTON– About two weeks after teasing a potential bid for US Senate, musician Kid Rock announced early Thursday morning that he is creating a non-profit to promote voter registration.
“The one thing I’ve seen over and over is that although people are unhappy with the government, too few are even registered to vote or do anything about it. We have over a year left until an actual election, so my first order of business is to get people engaged and registered to vote while continuing to put out my ideas on ways to help working class people in Michigan and America,” a statement on his website said.
He also said he’d hold a news conference in the next six weeks to address the non-profit and a potential Senate run. “If I decide to throw my hat in the ring for US Senate, believe me… it’s game on,” the statement says.
No stranger to politics
Kid Rock, a supporter of President Donald Trump, performed at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He visited the White House with Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent in April.
He initially tweeted interest in jumping into politics on July 12 after teasing a new website.
“I have had a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is real… http://kidrockforsenate.comThe answer is an absolute YES,” he tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
The website Kid Rock referred to in his tweet features a photo of the musician — sporting a hat, aviator sunglasses and a leather jacket — next to a stuffed moose, sitting on a blue chair (decorated with stars). The website logo reads “Kid Rock ’18 For US Senate.” Page visitors can also purchase swag, including stickers, shirts, lawn signs and caps that read “Kid Rock for US Senate.” The link to purchase apparel redirects visitors to Warner Bros. Records website.
The Thursday statement addresses speculation that the website “was a ploy to sell shirts or promote something.”
“I have no problem selling Kid Rock shirts,” the statement says, before pledging to use the money raised from merchandise for his voter registration efforts.
Eyes on Stabenow
The artist has previously been floated as a potential opponent to Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow who’s up for re-election next year.
Last week, he took a jab at Stabenow on Twitter. He wrote: “Dinner time at my house. What do you think Schumer is spoon-feeding Stabenow tonight?”
On July 24, he also tweeted out a link to a story on thegatewaypundit.com called “BOOM! Kid Rock LEADS in Michigan Senate Race Poll.”
When Kid Rock first tweeted interest in the Senate race, Sarah Anderson, deputy chief of staff for the Michigan Republican Party, told CNN in an email: “We have not had any conversations with Kid Rock so I cannot speak to the validity of this.”
On Wednesday evening, when asked if there were any updates on Kid Rock’s Senate run, she told CNN “I do not have any more information.”
