Some fading celebrity running for the Senate is a classic clickbait headline — and typical for the New York Post. So when I started reading ‘Tan mom’ Patricia Krentcil plans to run for US Senate in Florida — because I am a sucker for sensational if worthless stories — I was ready to dismiss it out of hand. But I was surprised to discover more nuance to the piece than I anticipated. But first, a little background.
In 2012, the mahogany-hued Patricia Krentcil, then 44, was arrested and spent one week in jail. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, her five-year-old daughter. Krentcil was addicted to tanning. And the authorities suspected that the Nutkley, NJ resident had taken her child for mother-daughter tanning sessions. Krentcil maintained that she never exposed her daughter to hazardous UV radiation or tanning beds. A grand jury later agreed and refused to indict her.
She gained national fame for her imaginary offense and actual skin color. She parlayed her notoriety into several appearances on the Howard Stern show and a role in the gay porn film Kings of New York (Season 2) — a movie about how anyone can become famous, regardless of talent or motivation. In it, she played the owner of a tanning salon in a non-sex part.
In 2023 she appeared in the docuseries Tan to 10, which follows a team of "plastic surgeons, drag queens, and best friends" as they attempt to transform "the tannest woman in the world." I have no info on how she turned out.
Krentcil now lives in Boca Raton. And according to TMZ, the 54-year-old had reportedly submitted the required documentation for a US Senate run to the Federal Elections Commission on August 14, paving the way for her potential participation in the 2024 elections.
In case you were wondering — as I was — she intends to run as a Republican and will challenge Rick Scott in the GOP primary. So far, so bad.
Then I read what she said to support her campaign. It was not what I expected. She seems clear-eyed about her limitations. And her motivation is spot on.
“Am I the most well-spoken, brilliant politician that ever lived? No. But I am a mom of five, with two kids in high school currently, boots on the ground in Florida, dealing with medical issues. I get it. I get what these people are going through. And it’s not good. We need to change it.”
“Banning Shakespeare, teaching slavery was beneficial? This is the priority when thousands of people can’t pay their home insurance premiums or medical bills!? Nobody should be made to feel inferior for how they look, or who they are as a person. I know this from personal experience.”
A compassionate conservative? Who knew that was a thing and not just a cynical throw-away line from George W Bush? If there was any doubt about where she stood, she also said,
“My platform is pro LGBTQ+; I would vote for RuPaul for President. Let’s mix it up with representation.”
She also explained why she thought her personal journey was an asset.
“I’ve walked through the fire to get to where I am at, which is a strong, independent woman who wants positive change in this country and world."
“The thing with my campaign is that you know everything about me from the start. There’s no skeletons or hidden secrets or shocking dirt to be revealed. What you see is what you get because my life has been documented. I think more media personalities should get involved in politics for this reason.”
I am a hard no on media personalities. But she makes an interesting point.
I started reading the NYP story fully prepared to sneer. Now, while I have not signed up for her fan club, I salute her for at least showing something vanishingly rare in a conservative — empathy. And if Floridians insist on sending Republicans to Congress, one might as well be her. She is morally streets ahead of the incumbent Scott — who is about as white, in every sense of the word, as you can get.