Former “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert launched a Democratic bid for a Congressional seat in Michigan on Monday, making her the latest in a long line of actors-turned-politicians.
While several actresses have flirted with a future in politics — think Ashley Judd or Fran Drescher — Gilbert is one of the few to actually take the plunge. In fact, you’d have to go back to Rep. Helen Gahagan Douglas (D-Calif.), who served three House terms starting in 1944 before being defeated in a bitter 1950 Senate campaign against Richard Nixon, to find an example of a former actress enjoying sustained political success.
That said, several of Hollywood’s brightest stars have served as mayors (Clint Eastwood), senators (Al Franken), governors (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura) and even in the White House (Ronald Reagan). Every one of these successes and some of the failures could provide Gilbert with a glimpse of what she has in store. Being a celebrity candidate can have its advantages but it can also backfire. Just ask Fred Thompson.
RELATED: Melissa Gilbert announces she’s running for Congress in Michigan
Here are few do’s and don’ts that Gilbert might want to heed as she gears up for 2016:
Have a strong narrative. For all voters’ talk about being sick and tired of traditional politicians, they tend to favor them when push comes to shove. It’s often hard to persuade the public to get behind someone without a background in government — unless, of course, they have a compelling arc to their candidacy. Take Schwarzenegger for instance. He was initially dismissed as just another famous face vying to replace embattled Democratic California Gov. Gray Davis back in 2003, but as voters in the state grew increasingly embittered with Davis’ perceived ineffectuality, they gravitated to Schwarzenegger’s can-do bravado. He campaigned on a willingness to go to war with the “girlie men” in the legislature and won handily.









