By: Robert B. Bluey
Posted 03/09/06
02:20 PM
Raj Bhakta, who was “fired” by Donald Trump on the second season of “The Apprentice,” will run on the Republican ticket this November against Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz in the suburban Philadelphia district, reports the Associated Press.
“We offer voters legitimate change,” Bhakta told the AP. “I am not a politician. I am someone from a business background who wants to make a change.”
Who knew Trump would breed an aspiring Republican lawmaker? The truth is, however, Bhakta isn’t the only cast member from “The Apprentice” with a potential career in politics.
Also likely to jump into the fray is the apprentice himself: Kelly Perdew, who came out on top during Trump’s second season of the show.
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Perdew has a great story (told in his book, “Take Command,” published by our sister company Regnery), and good connections (President Bush has said, according to U.S. News & World Report, “Next thing you know, the guy will be running for president.”)
Perdew makes no secret of his desire to run for office, telling Paul Bedard and Suzi Parker’s “Washington Whispers” column, “I’ve definitely considered doing something like that.”
Here’s an excerpt from that “Washington Whispers” report:
Perdew's story, revealed in an interview and hinted at in the new Regnery Publishing book Take Command, is more than just name-dropping. As a Wyoming high schooler, Perdew recalls being wowed by a Cheney speech when the veep was the state's representative. That led to an appointment to West Point, granted by Cheney, and a school internship with Aspin, then chair of the House Armed Services Committee. When Clinton cut the size of the military, Perdew left the Army and eventually made it to The Apprentice 2. The Bush twins wooed the new TV star to the inauguration, where he met the prez. Naturally, Perdew caught Potomac fever despite his Trump job and an upcoming Military Channel show: G.I. Factory. Is politics calling? Sure, he says, suggesting a race in New York, Kentucky, or Florida, all states where he's lived.
(If he’s not too busy, perhaps he could run for the U.S. Senate from Florida, where Republicans are still grumbling about Rep. Katherine Harris.)
Bhakta’s decision to use his star power to run for public office is a trend that we might see more of with reality shows producing all sorts of instant celebrities—many of whom, we hope, are conservatives.
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, voters in Pennsylvania’s 13th District can cast their vote for two celebrities this November: Bhakta and former Pittsburgh Steeler and ABC sportscaster Lynn Swann, the GOP candidate for governor.
Mr. Bluey is editor of Human Events Online.
