Unorthodox candidates all the rage

Two novices receiving a decent amount of respect are writers J.D. Vance and Nicholas Kristof. But if history is any indication, they don't stand a chance.

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Columnists

November 11, 2021 - 10:34 AM

Matthew McConaughey, an actor, is toying with running for governor of Texas. (Tim Warner/Getty Images/TNS)

Lots of wannabes with no political experience are running for office these days.

Matthew McConaughey — yes, the actor — is considering a campaign for governor of Texas. Former decathlete and Wheaties spokesperson Caitlyn Jenner just ran in California’s gubernatorial recall. Andrew Giuliani, a former professional golfer whose only apparent political credential is that he’s Rudy’s son, has entered the race for governor of New York.

These candidates are manifestly unqualified for public office and, for the most part, they haven’t been taken very seriously by the news media. Thank heavens.

But there are two political novices currently running for high elective office who are receiving far more respectful treatment, perhaps because they’re neither actors nor athletes nor reality TV stars. They’re serious people. They’re writers.

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