Take heart, Wyclef Jean!
Haitian law may preclude you from running from president until you’ve lived there for five years. But many other musicians have made the leap to politics.
ConsiderMidnight Oil’s Peter Garrett has been a member of the house of representatives in Australia since 2004 and is currently minister for environment, protection, heritage and the arts.
And what of Ruben Blades, who got 18 percent of the vote when he ran for president of Panama in 1994 and was later named minister of tourism there a decade later?
John Hall of the band Orleans has been a U.S. representative from New York’s 19th Congressional District since 2006.
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree ran twice as a Labour candidate for London city council, unsuccessfully (campaign theme: Woo-hoo!).
Kinky Friedman is toying with another run at Texas governor.
And what of Sonny Bono? The half of Sonny & Cher who was so esteemed a U.S. rep from California’s 44th Congressional District, his wife took his spot after he died in 1998.