Actor Hill Harper Announces Michigan Senate Run, Twitter Has Mixed Feelings

Source: Scott Olson / Getty / Hill Harper

Author, and actor, Hill Harper is no stranger to the world of politics, and now he is looking to make a big splash in Michigan’s 2024 senate race.

The New York Times reports Harper hopes to add US Senator to his list of accomplishments after throwing his name in a Democratic Primary that will have plenty of people closely monitoring it.

Harper has pledged to run as progressive and hopes that will be enough to convince Michigan voters to choose him over Moderate Democrat Elissa Slotkin.

The actor best known for his roles on CSI: NY and The Good Doctor and now a first-time candidate is running on a campaign that will work towards expanding social security, making sure the people he hopes to represent will have access to affordable healthcare, addressing income inequality and tackling student debt.

He spoke about his campaign in an interview shared by the New York Times:

“It became clear to me that folks across Michigan don’t feel like they are being represented in Washington, D.C.,” he said, describing his conversations with people at farmers’ markets and union halls as he weighed his decision to run. The state’s Democratic leadership, which holds the governor’s office and both chambers of the Michigan Statehouse, he added, has “done a lot to move the state forward, but Washington is still broken.”

We can all feel it: D.C just isn’t getting things done for people.

We need representatives who’ll take on special interests, get money out of politics, and make our government work for all of us.

That’s why today, I’m announcing my campaign for U.S. Senate in Michigan! pic.twitter.com/lv11ncDcsK

— Hill Harper (@hillharper) July 10, 2023

Harper Has Worked With Former President Barack Obama

Unlike some other celebrities, the 57-year-old actor isn’t new to politics. Harper was good friends with former President Barack Obama. The two men befriended each other while attending Harvard while playing basketball.

Obama would later appoint his friend to his President’s Cancer Panel in 2012, which worked alongside the National Institute of Health (NIH) that made recommendations to the Obama administration about cancer healthcare policies.

Hill Harper Isn’t Getting The Warm Announcement He Hoped He Would

Harper’s announcement is being met with a mixed reception. Some point to him misgendering Zaya Wade on her birthday while trying to push his book or for allegedly being transphobic.

Some people point out the Iowa native, who moved to Detroit in 2018, but barely stays in his home.

He also has some people excited about his Senate run. Actor Mark Ruffalo and Michael Skolnick both hit Twitter to support Mr. Harper’s run for the Senate.

You can see those reactions in the gallery below.

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Photo: Scott Olson / Getty

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