Despite early polling showing him to be a favorite to defeat Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow, Robert James Ritchie – better known as the musician Kid Rock – told Howard Stern on Tuesday that he will not be running for senate in 2018.
Rock released a joke “campaign announcement” over the summer claiming that he was exploring whether to seek the Michigan senate seat currently held by Stabenow. He later revealed that, though the announcement was intended to be a joke, the overwhelming response he receive had inspired to give a senatorial run serious thought.
But apparently, he was joking when he said that, too.
When asked about the status of his bid by Stern, he mocked everyone who had taken his “bid” seriously.
"F--- no, I’m not running for Senate. Are you kidding me?" Rock said on Howard Stern's SiriusXM show.
"Who couldn’t figure that out? I’m releasing a new album. I’m going on tour too. Are you f------ s------- me?"
It appears now that the ‘campaign’ was really a publicity stunt. Rock's new album, "Sweet Southern Sugar," will be released Nov. 3, after which Rock will head out for a country-wide tour, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The rocker said mulling over a Senate run was "the worst advice I ever gave myself,” though it did have some positives.
"It’s the worst advice I ever gave myself, but it's been the most creative thing I’ve ever done," he said. "And I’ve gotten to see everyone’s true colors."
Rock said as public hype grew around the Senate talk this year, even people in his circle who were "in on the joke" started to take it seriously.
"No, we’re not doing it," he said he'd tell them, "but let’s roll with it for a while."
While early polls showed him posing a strong challenge to Stabenow, a more recent poll taken in September showed him trailing the incumbent by 20 points. The poll, conducted by Market Resource Group, showed Stabenow winning 52 to 34 percent, the Hill reported.