Ken Jennings: Democrats Tried To Recruit Me For Senate Run

New York Magazine's Daily Intel noticed that while answering questions from users on Reddit, 74-time "Jeopardy" champion Ken Jennings claimed he was once approached for a career in politics.

"Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Harry Reid (D-NV) both called me back personally in 2004 to try to get me to run for Orrin Hatch's Senate seat." The famous game show contestant did not take the senators up on their offer.

Jennings also shared his thoughts on the implications of the request. "I am not making this up. Win on a game show and you can apparently run for the US Senate. That was when I realized the Democratic Party was f@#$ed in '04."

In a highly publicized three-day tournament that aired in February, Jennings lost on "Jeopardy" against Watson, a sophisticated computer system created by IBM. Jennings was a gracious loser, writing, "I for one welcome our new computer overlords" alongside his correct Final Jeopardy answer on the tournament's final airing.

Comments

[maxom]

08:04 PM on 03/15/2011

FROM YAHOO NEWS..................

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama rode a wave of voter passion in 2008 fed largely by intense dislike of President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, plus excitement among young and minority voters at the notion of electing the nation's first black president.

Now, as Obama cranks up his re-election campaign, all those factors are absent.
...............................................................
Kinda makes your heart speed up, huh?

[Balzy26]

08:51 PM on 03/06/2011

isn't he a Mormon? And doesn't that make being an intellectually curious democrat impossible no matter how much trivia you can memorize? I'd take watson of Jennings

[sandyhh]

05:03 PM on 03/05/2011

A Democratic Congressmen did beat Watson. I guess Jennings isn't smart enough to be a Democrat?

[Ronald Helfrich]

02:44 PM on 03/05/2011

Springer was a mayor before he became a talk host celeb. This Utahn would vote for Jennings over Hatch anyday. At least Jennings has a brain. Hatch needs to see the wizard.

[aspiecelia]

01:48 PM on 03/05/2011

They were encouraging him to run for office because of his high intelligence, which we certainly need more of. But, isn't it interesting that Jennings doesn't seem to get that.

[MorpheusXNYC]

01:45 PM on 03/05/2011

I think the general consensus on this issue is that Democrats see intelligence and brilliance as qualifications for leadership and Republicans see telegenic/photogenic qualities as qualification for high office.

[gbrooks]

02:20 PM on 03/05/2011

Hold on now...how many Dems liked Obama because of his looks and "suave" aspects? The same goes for John Edwards and Jack Conway from the KY senate race, where Rand Paul won despite the fact that he wasn't as "handsome" as Conway.

Both sides do it, and I daresay that male Dem politicians are better looking that GOP male politicians.

Partisan thinking seems to induce some sort of delusion...no matter what side of the aisle you're on.

[sandyhh]

05:04 PM on 03/05/2011

To win in KY you have to be crazier than the other candidate.

[MorpheusXNYC]

01:03 AM on 03/07/2011

Looks and "sauve" aspects? LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you smoking peyote????!

People elected him because he was brilliant, unflappable and inspirational in a way few politicians have ever been.
And in our darkest, post-Bush hour when America's future looked like nothing but the bleak, dusk latitudes of a nation doomed to decline and eventual post apocalyptic ruin, Obama gave us a vision of what the country could be like, something for us to aspire to, to hope for and we voted our hopes instead of our fears.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but no one voted for him because they liked the mole on the side of his nose, or his purple lips or big ears.

[tibetanterrier]

01:05 PM on 03/05/2011

Ken left the Ute state for Seattle, WA. Watson inspired me to pull out an Odyssey from space.

[woodnwire]

12:56 PM on 03/05/2011

while the gop tries to recruit larry the cable guy.

[hrc04]

11:54 AM on 03/05/2011

I think that speaks more to the standing of democrats in Utah.

[Pennsanic]

11:33 AM on 03/05/2011

The Dems recruit from the brainiac show. The GOP recruits from "The Price is Right".

[daddyG56]

12:54 PM on 03/05/2011

Oh, no you didn't. hehehehehehehehe

[gbrooks]

02:22 PM on 03/05/2011

It's not the GOP trying to recruit Drew Carey, it's the Libertarians. And Drew has a lot of good, non-status quo ideas. I might support him.

And how is that worse than the Dems supporting a not-that-funny former SNL writer? Or the GOP supporting a hack actor back in the day?

[Pennsanic]

04:30 PM on 03/05/2011

1. It was a joke.
2. Senator Franken spent years doing his homework. He was/is prepared for the job.

[John Coughlan]

11:16 AM on 03/05/2011

"Win on a game show and you can apparently run for the US Senate. That was when I realized the Democratic Party was f@#$ed in '04."
Ken, have you noticed where the other parties gets their inspirational candidates from, like failed businesspeople or wrestlers?

[JPWright]

11:30 AM on 03/05/2011

......or half term Governors??

[sensimilla]

10:59 AM on 03/05/2011

Hmm, dems want intelligent well spoken individuals to govern. Yes i guess that is much different than the GOP who want loud mouth ignorant, ethnocentric and religious ideologues.

[happyfella73]

10:40 AM on 03/05/2011

What is fifteen minutes, Alex?

[MrBluebird]

10:31 AM on 03/05/2011

Sonny, my congressman, Rush Holt, beat Watson.

[mhoff]

10:29 AM on 03/05/2011

Well, Ken, they asked you to run as a Democrat in Utah. So you were mostly just a space filler anyway. Expletive, deleted.