10 Failed Celeb Political Bids

Wyclef Jean is running for president of Haiti, but already things aren’t going well for the controversy-plagued singer. If he loses, he won’t be the first celebrity to suffer a failed political campaign: Time lists 10 others:

• Norman Mailer: Despite being a literary giant, the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author ran for mayor of New York and lost—9 years after he first attempted to run for the position, telling a journalist he wanted to “bring back the Middle Ages,” complete with jousting tournaments.

• Shirley Temple: The curly-haired child star decided to “cast her bonnet into the political ring” after retiring from acting, but she lost her 1967 run for Congress.
• P.T. Barnum: Before he created his famous circus, he was a representative in the Connecticut state legislature—but he lost his bid for Congress.
• Upton Sinclair: The muckraker and author of The Jungle lost three bids for Congress and two for governor of California.

To see the complete list, click here—or to read about Wyclef’s latest troubles, click here. (More celebrity stories.)