Musician Robert Ritchie, more commonly known as “Kid Rock,” may not be able to use his stage name on the ballot in Michigan next year if he ends up running for the Senate.
Kid Rock, who has indicated he may challenge Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) in the 2018 midterm elections, has become a household name to Americans under the age of 50, but he may not be able to use his stage name on the ballot, Roll Call reported Monday.
If Ritchie received enough valid signatures to make the ballot and submitted them with the indication that he wanted to be listed as “Kid Rock,” the Michigan Bureau of Elections would have to investigate the request and decide if the name is permissible.
At first glance, “Kid Rock” does not appear to be an acceptable name under the state’s five criteria for the manner in which a candidate can have their name appear on the ballot, Roll Call noted.
In the Michigan Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing, one of the stipulations for a candidate’s name appearing on the ballot is that they “may not use a ‘nickname that is not a recognized diminutive of the candidate’s given name or middle name.'”
The name “Kid Rock” may mobilize some individuals to vote for him, but it would be “premature” to assume that a celebrity could win because President Donald Trump was elected, according to Roll Call.
If Kid Rock does run, he may portray himself as an outsider candidate looking to upend the political establishment in Washington, D.C., a strategy that worked for Trump in 2016.
(via: Free Beacon)
