Why Would Peyton Manning – or Any NFL Superstar – Run for Public Office?

Pro football players in federal politics is somewhat of a rare phenomenon. Congressmen Jack Kemp, Steve Largent, Tom Osborne, Heath Schuler and Jon Runyan all spent time in the league. Others, including Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, played college ball. Considering the numbers, they are really just a drop in the bucket.

Future president Gerald Ford, pictured during his time at the University of Michigan as the center of the Wolverines football team.

Politico reported this week that Peyton Manning “is scheduled to speak at the joint Senate-House GOP retreat in Philadelphia…part of a lineup that includes President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.”  This lead Deadspin to “speculate” about Manning’s “political aspirations.”

While those pros listed above were all bonafide stars (being generous to Schuler and taking into account Osborne’s coaching success), none reached the iconic status on the field that Manning did.  Whether or not he would run himself, Manning is no stranger to supporting GOP candidates. [Note: all of the player-politicans above were Republicans with the exception of Schuler.]

Screenshot via OpenSecrets

While, several factors, not the least of which name recognition and the ability to self-fund, would enable him to likely easily clear the field of any primary challenge should he decide to throw his name in the ring, what benefit (other than ego) would the two-time Super Bowl winner see in public service?

“It’s a place to satisfy their competitive fire,” Runyan’s general consultant Chris Russell of Chris Russell Consulting told me. “Outside of professional sports, what arena has more high-stakes “games” and Type “A” personalities? It’s a way to stay in the limelight, while avoiding the physical pounding.”

Potential Manning Targets

Of the Senate races in 2018 in states that hypothetical GOP candidate Manning would be relevant, Indiana’s Senior Senator Joe Donnelly sits in a seat that leans Dem. The Hill calls the Donnelly seat one of the 10 most likely to flip in 2018.

Ohio, from where Manning filed his political donations, was won by Trump in 2016 and puts a bullseye on Democrat Sherrod Brown’s seat.

Louisiana and Tennessee both have a pair of Republican Senators holding down the upper chamber. Colorado has a freshman Republican Senator in Cory Gardner who won’t be up for reelection until 2020. Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet was re-elected in 2016.

Should he choose to carpetbag (or should Archie get involved and try to dictate where his son will serve), luckily for Peyton there is a very loose residency requirement in Congress stating he must simply “be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen” when elected.

So the map’s wide open.

Apr 17, 2016; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) and former NFL and Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning before the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Sure Bet or Long Shot?

NFL success doesn’t translate to political success. Heck. Political success doesn’t translate to political success (“Ask Jeb, Hillary, etc.” Russell quipped).  In 2006, another Super Bowl hero, Lynn Swan, was trounced by Democrat incumbent/power broker Ed Rendell in the race for Pennsylvania governor.  None of Manning’s potential foes would match the stature of a Rendell, but mid-term elections often spell trouble for the party which holds the Oval Office.  George W. Bush’s approval rating rarely reached 40% in ’06, and never reached 45% according to Gallop. While meager, Dems picked up seats that year in both chambers.

If this past cycle – and the subsequent polarization in its aftermath – tells us anything, running for office for either party will likely demonize you to tens of millions of Americans, but also, the voter mindset is getting ever-harder to read.

Despite this, Manning has as good a chance as any. Noted Russell, “There is no such thing as a shoo-in. But in a GOP state like Tennessee or Indiana, he would be a heavy favorite if he can hold up under initial scrutiny.”

WASHINGTON – APRIL 14: U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) (R) speaks as Rep. Jon Runyan (R-NJ) (L) listens during a hearing before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee April 14, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The hearing was to examine the accountability at Arlington National Cemetery in light of the mix-ups in burials at the cemetery. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Like professional sports, Russell warns, the spotlight is bright and sometimes unsavory:

“Major league scrutiny on his private life and business dealings. Those stories from his time at Tennessee that have bubbled beneath the surface would make their way onto the front pages of major newspapers, and onto television and into mass mailings and digital ads with millions of dollars behind them in a real race. For someone so used to being loved and succeeding as an affable pitchman, the campaign will not be all butterflies and flowers.”

If Runyan’s experience is any indication, should he become a member of Congress, Manning will have to deal with a new set of teammates who may not live up to his demand for perfection from those around him. Noted NJ.com upon Runyan’s decision note to seek reelection: “Runyan’s frustration with Congress grew in recent months, culminating in him calling the government shutdown “utterly ridiculous.”