Sorry, but you shouldn't buy into the 'Kid rock is running for Senate' story

Marketing is fun

, --July 13, 2017

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It was tough to miss yesterday's revelation that Kid Rock was setting up a run for the Michigan Senate. Political sites, entertainment sites, and even local news sites were overrun with "Kid Rock sets sights on politics" stories. You'll notice the tale it did not appear here, despite the fact that two of the three regular writers reside in the Wolverine State. That's because it's almost certainly not true. The appearance of a "Kid Rock for Senate" website may have tongues wagging, but my suspicion is that the media is being trolled - hard - and there's going to be a flood of retractions when Kid Rock announces his new album. First, the word from the man himself: You'll note that despite the fact that the media is calling that a confirmation, it only confirms that the "website is real." Nowhere does he say he's running. Then we got this:
Yeah, I suppose there's a remote, outside chance that he's setting up something political. It's possible that he's going to drop a campaign announcement "in the near future." It's just extraordinarily unlikely. ...Like, "aliens landing on the White House lawn" unlikely. First of all, the website that is 'real' is selling t-shirts and bumper stickers via a page at Kidrock.warnerbrosrecords.com. Warner Music is Kid Rock's record label, and you'd have to be insane to think that anyone at TimeWarner is going to let a self-proclaimed pro-Trump Republican launch a campaign on their internet dime. More telling is the fact that Robert Ritchie (Kid Rock's real name) has not filed anything with the FEC, there's no "paid for by..." statement on his alleged "announcement page," and "“Kid Rock for US Senate 2018” is not a real political action committee. Any one of those things should raise suspicion of a viral marketing campaign. The fact that all of them are true virtually guarantees that this is a viral marketing hoax. That hasn't stopped news outlets from running their hot takes, though. I guess the thought of Kid Rock launching a Senatorial bid falls into the "too good to check" category. Even Debbie Stabenow issued a statement:
She's even sent out a fundraising blitz in the wake of his non-campaign...
“This afternoon, Kid Rock tweeted out that he was going to have a big announcement and hinted that he was going to challenge me for the U.S. Senate. We don’t know if this is real or just a publicity stunt. ...But after Donald Trump’s surprising win last year, we need to act fast. Will you donate $5 right now to help me raise what I need to fight back?”
Look, if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it. We live in a political world gone mad so, if Kid Rock surprises everyone by taking a genuine stab at a political career, I'll be happy to eat my words. I doubt I'll have to. More likely, we'll soon get an announcement that "Kid Rock's new album, titled 'Kid Rock for Senate' will be released" on such-and-such a date. Would it be fun to watch a scruffy Michigan rapper take on the "Dangerously Incompetent" Debbie Stabenow? Absolutely. Will it happen? Doubtful.

Kid Rock For Senate! Michigan! Replace Debbie Stabenow!

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Robert Laurie——

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