By Michael Dinich | Wealth of Geeks
The celebrity Americans would most like to see run for president is Denzel Washington, according to new research.
The poll of 2,000 Americans, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Study Finds, found that the United States is ready for another President Washington, with 15% of those polled saying they’d love to see the “Training Day” star run for office.
Coming in a close second place was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as 15% of those polled said they’d be interested in voting for the former WWE superstar.
Taking the last spot in the top three was Tom Hanks (12%), followed up by Clint Eastwood (10%), George Clooney (10%) and Oprah (9%).
Surprisingly, despite significant careers, none of the top ten have ever portrayed the U.S. President on film.
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Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey lands in seventh place. The Texas-born actor would pull in 8% of the vote.
Rounding out the top ten are three men who stretch the definition of celebrity, known more for their keen business minds and pushing technology forward.
All tied at 7% of the votes are Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, Tesla, SpaceX and X owner Elon Musk, and “Shark Tank” investor and part-owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban.
Coming in the two last places on the entire list of celebrities were brothers Jake and Logan Paul — both earning just 2% of the vote.
Curiously, of the robust list of celebrities the survey provided, over a third said they were interested in voting for … none of them (36%).
But while running a celebrity as your party’s presidential candidate might seem like a good idea on its face, the results of the poll showed that it might not get you all the way there.
According to the survey, 28% of Americans are at least somewhat more likely to vote for a celebrity they like if they ran for president, with 13% saying they are “much more likely.”
But an overwhelming 52% said it wouldn’t affect their vote at all — and 21% said it would even make them less likely.
Similarly, only 17% of all those surveyed believe that “fame” is an important requisite for running for office. 73% say they believe it’s not important.
And social media presence and influence don’t seem to be a factor either. Only 21% would feel at least somewhat more inclined to vote for a candidate that had a large social media following. For six in ten (60%), it does not affect how they vote.
Top 10 Celebrities Americans Would Like To See Run for President
- Denzel Washington (15%)
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (13%)
- Tom Hanks (12%)
- Clint Eastwood (10%)
- George Clooney (10%)
- Oprah Winfrey (9%)
- Matthew McConaughey (8%)
- Bill Gates (7%)
- Elon Musk (7%)
- Mark Cuban (7%)
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans was commissioned by Study Finds between April 3 and April 8, 2024. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
