Musician Robert Ritchie, known professionally as "Kid Rock," is leading Democratic incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) in a hypothetical 2018 Senate race in Michigan, according to a new Delphi Analytica poll.
The survey asked 668 Michigan residents which candidate they preferred. Of respondents who stated a preference between Stabenow and Kid Rock, 54 percent said they would vote for Kid Rock, while 46 percent said they would vote for Stabenow.
Overall, 44 percent of respondents did not have a preference between the two candidates, which might be due to the early stage of the election.
Kid Rock alluded to a possible campaign for the U.S. Senate on July 12. The longtime rapper and singer-songwriter tweeted a link to the site, kidrockforsenate.com, and confirmed that the website was real.
I have had a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is real… https://t.co/RRVgISDFeq The answer is an absolute YES. pic.twitter.com/uYCUg6mjW1
— Kid Rock (@KidRock) July 12, 2017
There is no registration filed with the Federal Election Commission of any campaign associated with Kid Rock. Many people in the media pointed this out as a reason not to take a Kid Rock Senate campaign seriously.
Kid Rock responded to his critics with a statement titled, "Once again the press is wrong." In the statement, he teased about filing with the FEC and hit the press for getting their facts wrong about him.
"Once again the press is wrong. First of all, I've got 15 days from my announcement to file paperwork with the FEC! Second, I'm not signed to Warner Bros!!! - which simple fact-checking would have revealed," Kid Rock wrote. "I have recently worked out a unique deal with BMG, Broken Bow, CAA and Live Nation to release music ON MY TERMS."
"Like politicians write books during their campaigns, I'm planning on putting out music during mine and IT ALL STARTS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT," the musician continued. "It's not a hoax, it's a strategy and marketing 101!"
He added that Stabenow is better at politics than him, but he will do what he does best by being a voice for the American people.
"Senator Stabenow and I do share a love of music, although probably not the same kind. I concede she is better at playing politics than I am so I'll keep doing what I do best, which is being a voice for tax paying, hardworking AMERICANS and letting politicians like her know that We the People are sick and tired of their bullshit!," Kid Rock wrote.
One Democratic senator is not taking Kid Rock's possible Senate run as a joke. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) warned supporters that Kid Rock could be the next President Donald Trump in a fundraising email with the subject line "Senator Kid Rock (R-MI)", the Boston Herald reported earlier this month.
Like Trump, Kid Rock prefers American-made products. Back in March, Kid Rock filmed himself blowing up Chinese-made grills while promoting the 100-percent made-in-America American Badass Grill.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRL4D7hgTff/