Alyssa Milano has officially announced that she is thinking about running for Congress. She’s not actually declaring herself a candidate yet, but she’s throwing it out there to gauge public support. She’s setting her sites on Rep. Tom McClintock’s seat in 2024. McClintock represents California’s 4th District and won the seat in 2008. He’s a Republican and Alyssa would run as the Democrat challenger.
Alyssa Milano, veteran of TV shows including “Who’s the Boss?,” “Charmed” and “Insatiable,” has her eye on a seat in Congress.
“I am confirming that it is possible that I will run for office in 2024,” the actor-activist said Tuesday in a statement to The Times.
Milano told the Hill on Tuesday that she was possibly interested in challenging California’s 4th District Rep. Tom McClintock for his House seat, building on a tweet she floated in late May.
“I split my time between Truckee, Calif., and Bell Canyon, Calif., and the Republicans have basically had a strong arm there in the 4th District,” Milano told the Hill, saying she would love to potentially flip the red district to blue.
Milano’s decision wouldn’t happen in time for the 2022 midterms, though. She has a “Who’s the Boss?” reboot in the works, in addition to other commitments, and she couldn’t do that and run for Congress simultaneously.
“It’s going to take someone with, I think, name recognition and deep pockets to be able to run against McClintock, and so I’m considering it,” the COVID-19 long-hauler told the Hill. “I’m basically gathering information right now, speaking to different consultants, speaking to the community.”
District 4 is on the eastern/Nevada border and runs from central to Northern California. It bleeds up into the Tahoe area, which is why Alyssa points out she splits her time in Truckee, which establishes herself as a “local” (Bell Canyon is in Southern California). As is mentioned the area has been red for a while, but not always. It was blue from 1963 until 1993 when it was redistricted. But it’s pretty important to the state. It’s strategically right outside our state’s capital. Plus it holds both valuable tourist attraction (Tahoe/Reno area) and agricultural land. Despite what most industries tell you, California’s big business is agriculture. So Alyssa is right to take the temperature for a run here because this is going to be a hard fight for her.
As far as Alyssa’s qualifications, I’ll be honest, I am not totally opposed to her running. Alyssa has absolutely mis-stepped. For example, she took credit for MeToo and had to be schooled on Tarana Burke’s movement before Alyssa gave her the credit she deserved. I’m not saying Alyssa is ideal, but she has actually gone to work for causes and organizations. If she’s learned to educate herself before she speaks, I could see her making a decent run. And, as she said, she has the resources to make an actual challenge, which is something else she’ll need against that political machine. Postponing a decision until after a Who’s the Boss? Reunion isn’t my favorite answer, but maybe that’s her seed money. I’m no fan of McClintock. He’s a party line Republican who’s been voting more and more for party over District. He called the impeachment vote “petty” and voted not to investigate Jan 6. He ran a bunch of unsuccessful campaigns in California, including against Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2003 recall, before he fell into this District 4 seat. Would I rather someone else run? Yes. But the district was designed to stay red. Maybe I support Alyssa because at the very least, having a Hollywood actor running against McClintock is going to shine a very bright light on him and his cronies so that will be something.
Photo credit: Avalon Red and Instagram
I mean? Okay? But one thing I have seen quite powerfully demonstrated by this current presidential administration is that if you elect someone with long experience in public office, that person is positioned to be highly effective. I remember Jesse Ventura being governor of Minnesota as an outsider candidate and the guy was a washout as a lawmaker. It requires skill, which I think gets derided as politics as usual.
True, but he was in an executive position. Many of our congresspeople are yokels. I mean , real idiots who sold used cars or something. They have no executive experience.
Eh, I’m personally just done with celebrities and “celebrities” doing professional politics. And that goes the same for her, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Trump, Caitlyn Jenner, Matthew McConaughey, and whoever else is trying.
I feel they’re often too simplistic, too self-centered, over-populistic.
I prefer people with skill and education in economics, medicine, politics etc., depending on what their role in the office then is.
I agree! I’d love to see more social workers, teachers, public health workers gain positions. Basically community and care minded individuals to help balance out the private and business interests that seem to dominate.
I disagree. This is how I’ve always supported celebs running – a representative isn’t absolutely ground level, but it’s not running for governor or president. Celebrities have just as much right to run for office as we do.
Until we get the money out of politics, we’re not going to get a lot of people from less well compensated fields running. I
“This is how I’ve always supported celebs running – a representative isn’t absolutely ground level, but it’s not running for governor or president. Celebrities have just as much right to run for office as we do.”
THIS. Using your celebrity/name recognition to run for a House seat is very different than using your celebrity to run for President.
And, from what I know of her, she’s been an activist for years, so it’s not a situation where she woke up one day and decided to get involved in politics. She’s been involved, she just hasn’t run for office before.
I’m all for it, we have male stars going into politics all our lives. That asshat McConaughey is going to be next. Bring on the women I say!
What if the reboot gets picked up for more than 1 season? Fuller House has been on Netflix since 2016.
Is she going to juggle both careers?
I guess I could just go to her Twitter and ask.
Nah. Trump has turned me off of celebrities as politicians for life.
Very few cis-female celebrities seem to run. The only one I can recall is Cynthia Nixon from Sex and the City.
I think most celebrities turn out to be not very good politicians, but now that I think about it carefully most of them have been men.
She’s not really actively annoying in the way some male celebrities are so maybe she wouldn’t be bad. (Note: I said “some” male celebrities). I had the same impression about Cynthia Nixon — I didn’t perceive her as qualified but I didn’t perceive her as actively getting on my nerves either.
Heavy sigh. Whatever. I wish one of the requirements to run is that the person must work in the service industry like teachers. Sanitation. City planning. Construction. Veterans. I don’t know, I still dream of a world where money isn’t the root of everything. Like in order to run, candidates have to be able to check a box indicating they’re anything but an old white man lol. I think it’s time to treat them as token employees for the foreseeable future (50 years? a century?).
If she’s going after a Red seat…I say go for it. She’s been very politically vocal so if she can unseat a Republican that would be great. She has more cred imo than Matt M in Texas