Game show hosts turned politicians?

[SamJ93]

Thought of this while reading the Pat Sajak thread and didn’t want to hijack it…

Were there ever any game show hosts or related personalities who later became political candidates?  Not just being outspoken in their opinions like Sajak, Woolery, etc.,  but actually running for office.

One who comes to mind is Bess Myerson, who was a panelist on various game shows including IGAS in the 50's and a model on The Big Payoff.  She later became involved in NYC politics under Mayor Koch and ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate.

[PYLdude]

Does crew count? I seem to remember reading Howard Felsher running for office during his G-T days.

Plus Nick Clooney and Jesse Ventura.

[Mr. Matté]

The GS hosts/staff that ran for office typically did not do well.

Lynn Swann - 2006 PA Governors race
Nick Clooney - 2004 Congress, Kentucky
Howard Feldsher - 1982 Congress, California
Wally Bruner* - 1960s Congress, Indiana

* That one I only found out because I help maintain a website that focuses on maintaining old/current elections. When I found a "Wallace C. Brunner" had a name match with Natalie Brunner (Wally's wife who ran for Congress in the 90s), I wanted to check for a family connection. I was quite surprised when the first Google result popped up a WML screenshot.

(EDIT: Spelling)

[Jay Temple]

Depending on how broadly you define "related personalities", Fred Grandy represented Iowa in Congress for a time. (GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis, which Jill Whelan solved.)

[pacdude]

Depending on how broadly you define "related personalities", Fred Grandy represented Iowa in Congress for a time. (GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis, which Jill Whelan solved.)

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus

[TLEberle]

Sanity prevails!

[brianhenke]

 Also:

    Michael Flannery, host of the Cincinnati edition of Know-It-Alls, was elected to the Cincinnati Board of Education.

    Brian

[TLEberle]

Sanity prevailed. Briefly.

[Thunder]

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus

This reply is much better when you hum the Super Password "win the main game" music cue while reading it.

[Jay Temple]

Depending on how broadly you define "related personalities", Fred Grandy represented Iowa in Congress for a time. (GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis, which Jill Whelan solved.)

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus

I was referring to the fact that he had previously played the $20/$25K Pyramids and at least one version of Password himself.

[PYLdude]

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus

This reply is much better when you hum the Super Password "win the main game" music cue while reading it.

Except Jay's example fit the question being asked.

The OP said "hosts" initially and then expanded it to include panelists before he finalized the post. As far to my knowledge Bess Myerson never hosted a show, now did she?

Since Fred Grandy had appeared on several game shows before he decided to leave Hollywood for Washington, he absolutely fits the bill. Cory's misplaced sarcasm and your pissy attitude aside.

[BrandonFG]

And before anyone turns this into a "Words Have Meanings" about how Jay should've said that before, please don't. Not every single thread has to be so literal. I know Fred appeared on Pyramid, but didn't know if guest appearances would've included "related personalities".

If it does, then you can add Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, who were on What's My Line? years before becoming presidents, although Carter was already governor of Georgia.

[PYLdude]

And before anyone turns this into a "Words Have Meanings" about how Jay should've said that before, please don't. Not every single thread has to be so literal. I know Fred appeared on Pyramid, but didn't know if guest appearances would've included "related personalities".

Since the OP made it a point to include Bess Myerson, I figured it would apply.

In your example, I would probably split it. If Carter was already in office as governor when he appeared, that probab,y is different. Reagan certainly should be a consideration if he appeared on WML? before he was elected governor of California (and according to a search, he not only did but still belonged to the Democratic Party at the time).

[pacdude]

Since Fred Grandy had appeared on several game shows before he decided to leave Hollywood for Washington, he absolutely fits the bill. Cory's misplaced sarcasm and your pissy attitude aside.

I don't know/care who Fred Grandy is. The context I got from the post was "GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis" so that's all I know. If people learned how to express themselves better, use the UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF LETTERS AND SPACES AND NUMBERS and give some better context other than "THIS MAN WAS A SUPER PASSWORD SOLUTION SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BRING UP IN THIS DISCUSSION OF GAME SHOW PERSONALITIES GOING INTO POLITICS" then maybe my sarcasm and Travis's pissy attitude never needed to show up.

[PYLdude]

Since Fred Grandy had appeared on several game shows before he decided to leave Hollywood for Washington, he absolutely fits the bill. Cory's misplaced sarcasm and your pissy attitude aside.

I don't know/care who Fred Grandy is. The context I got from the post was "GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis" so that's all I know. If people learned how to express themselves better, use the UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF LETTERS AND SPACES AND NUMBERS and give some better context other than "THIS MAN WAS A SUPER PASSWORD SOLUTION SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BRING UP IN THIS DISCUSSION OF GAME SHOW PERSONALITIES GOING INTO POLITICS" then maybe my sarcasm and Travis's pissy attitude never needed to show up.

But that's not what he said. You read the second half of his statement, which I have to think he made as an offhanded remark (as in "hey, Fred Grandy was a celebrity who participated on game shows in the past and the puzzle helped jog my memory that he served in the House of Representatives") and because you didn't know that Gopher was on a game show as anything other than a Password Puzzle subject, you chose to substitute the irrelevant portion of his post for what he actually meant. Which makes your sarcastic post mistimed and really unnecessary. Now Henke's post certainly would've been worthy.

Just because you don't know who somebody is doesn't mean that the person's connection to the subject matter is questionable.

(And if anybody knows misplaced sarcasm, it is me...too often have I done this)