Trump supporter and radio host Joe Piscopo is seriously considering a run for governor of New Jersey, according to a Monday report from the New York Times.
Piscopo spent much of 2016 on the trail for President Donald Trump, and he wants to expand his political resume to include the governor’s mansion.
“I’m very serious about it,” the comedian of “Saturday Night Live” fame told the Times. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”
He’s already taking the first steps toward a run. The radio host engaged with union and business leaders in New Jersey, as well as with elected officials on a state-wide listening tour, and has created a team to publish an official platform.
Although the New York Times described his potential run as a “long shot,” recent polling in the race reveals that New Jersey voters aren’t exactly happy with the two major Republican candidates so far.
Current Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno leads the GOP primary, but she only earned 18 percent of the vote in a recent Fairleigh Dickinson University poll.
An unnamed, generic Republican earned 13 percent, and 12 percent selected Piscopo. The poll also revealed that 52 percent of voters were undecided, leaving a lot of room to snare the nomination in June.
Governing magazine rated the race as vulnerable to Republicans, meaning Democrats could gain from an outgoing administration with a record-low approval rating under Governor Chris Christie.
That would be true, if there wasn’t an incredible six candidates competing for the Democratic ticket in June’s primary. Republicans have four official candidates thus far, and Piscopo is already favored over three of them.
Piscopo’s performance in early polling reveals the well-connected host and fundraiser is already setting himself up as a Trump-friendly candidate, and an alternative to Guadagno, who is unlikely to shake the negative perception of the outgoing administration.
Piscopo initially announced his interest in October in 2016, and brought up the issue again during a November speech before the election.
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