Saturday, July 09, 2005

Lynn Swan to throw hat into ring?

ESPN's Len Pasquarelli reports he hasn't made an official announcement yet, but people close to WR Lynn Swann believe it's a fait accompli the former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Hall of Fame member will seek the Republican nomination in the 2006 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race. Swann five months ago formed a political committee, "Team 88," named for his familiar uniform number. He has a campaign office in Pittsburgh and recently staged a fundraising event at Heinz Field. But the biggest indication Swann intends to seek a nomination that would then pit him against Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell in what likely would be a hotly contested governor's race is he is confiding to some of his former teammates that he will run.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Interesting dynamic when former athletes get involved in politics. I wonder how many people let their sports opinions overrule their previous political ideas. What do you think, Jeff? I assume you're a Republican so if you were a Penn resident, your sports opinion wouldn't contradict your political opinion. A few years ago, the idea of Richard Petty running for Lt. Gov. (maybe it was Gov.) of NC was floating in the news. It didn't materialize but it made me wonder what my mother, who was easily Petty's biggest fan and a "straight party" Democrat, would do. I really don't think she would vote for him because she only punches one box on the ballot "All Democrats", but there are probably many who would vote for a favorite athlete despite their political idealogies.