Kid Rock's Senate Bid Comes Under Fire By Watchdog Group

Detroit pop music star and self-described “Pimp of the Nation” Kid Rock has come under fire by an elections watchdog group that says he broke election “campaign finance law 101” in his bid for one of Michigan’s U.S. Senate seats. The group, Common Cause, says in a complaint to the Federal Elections Commission that the singer started raising campaign funds and acted as a candidate before he filed his intentions to run.

Common Cause also accuses his record label, Warner Bros. Music, of assisting his campaign by acting as a conduit to sell the election campaign merchandise. The organization has asked that the Federal Elections Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice investigate Kid Rock’s political activities. Kid Rock has indicated that he is considering a run in 2018 for the seat held by Democrat Debbie Stabenow, Michigan's senior senator.

The complaint notes that while he has not formally declared his candidacy, Kid Rock already has a campaign website and is using a link to a Warner Bros. Records website to sell campaign T-shirts, yard signs, hats and bumper stickers, bearing the “KID ROCK FOR US SENATE” logo.

Kid Rock, who’s real name is Robert James Ritchie, also is promoting his candidacy on social media. Since July, the complaint notes, the musician has maintained a Twitter account, @KidRockSenator, that has been selling campaign materials. On July 29, that account tweeted “Donate to the campaign! Get your gear! #PoliticsNation” along with an image of “KID ROCK FOR US SENATE” merchandise with the text “SHOP NOW.”

The musician addresses the sale of campaign-related material in a July 26 post on his website, saying that he would create a nonprofit organization to promote voter registration. "Not only can I raise money for this critical cause, but I can help get people registered to vote at my shows," Kid Rock wrote. "I have no problem selling Kid Rock shirts and yes, I absolutely will use this media circus to sell/promote whatever I damn well please (many other politicians are doing the same thing, they just feed you a bunch of bullshit about it)."

Image by the Associated Press