Many people scratched their heads in confusion when they heard Clueless actress Stacey Dash filed paperwork to run for Congress in California’s 44th Congressional District back in February. The district has consistently elected a Democrat and the decision by the celebrity to run as Republican was a peculiar choice, at best.
Now we won’t know what a congressional race with Dash will look like, which is (probably) for the best since she recently announced that she’s withdrawing her bid. She says that she realized it isn’t worth all the negative attention and work after talking with friends and family. She told CNN:
"I started this run with the intention to address the pressing issues in the district where I live," Dash said in the statement. "I hoped, and remain hopeful, that I can assist people living here on the national level. My goal was, and remains, to improve the lives of people who have been forgotten for decades by the Democratic Party."
However, Dash added, "At this point, I believe that the overall bitterness surrounding our political process, participating in the rigors of campaigning, and holding elected office would be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of my family. I would never want to betray the personal and spiritual principles I believe in most: that my God and my family come first."
I don’t think that Dash dropping out of the race is a loss—I can get entertainment that is a lot less high-stakes. However, after reading the statement I do wonder how closely she paid attention to politics before now. She’s been an outspoken Republican for a while. Did she really not consider how difficult campaign life would be?
Or perhaps she finally got a clue and realized that her time would be better spent not running for public office.