There are numerous stars across the entertainment landscape who have been active in the Grand Old Party. Some of these famous Republicans have run for office and even wound up winning, enjoying career pivots into politics. Here are some of the most well-known celebrities who have run for mayor, governor, Senate, Congress and even President of the United States as Republicans.

Sonny Bono

After his music and TV career as one-half of Sonny & Cher with his “Goddess of Pop” wife, Bono found a second act in politics. Bono served as the 16th mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992, and as the U.S. representative for California’s 44th district from 1995 until his death in a skiing accident in 1998. He is best known for championing the Sonny Bono United States Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which extends the copyright term 20 years. The legislation was passed posthumously and was named in his honor.

Kimberlin Brown

When she isn’t running an avocado farm with her husband or acting in daytime soap operas, Kimberlin Brown is active in politics. In 2016, Brown was a speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention, and in 2017, Brown unsuccessfully ran in California’s 36th congressional district against Democrat Raul Ruiz. She was a prominent supporter of former president Donald Trump during his first presidential race and throughout his term in the White House.

Clint Eastwood

Iconic actor and director Clint Eastwood has at times had a side gig in politics. Before officially registering as a Libertarian in 2008, Eastwood was an active Republican from 1951 to 2008. He was the 30th (nonpartisan) mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and during his term from 1986 to 1988, Eastwood legalized the consumption of ice cream on city streets, added public restrooms to the beach and built a library. Eastwood donated his entire mayoral salary of $200 per month to the Carmel Youth Center. The movie star also served on the California State Park and Recreation Commission in the early 2000s. Eastwood’s most brazen political stunt is one that he retroactively regrets: the time he delivered a fierly speech to an empty chair representing President Barack Obama at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Caitlyn Jenner

Olympic gold medalist and decathlete Caitlyn Jenner, parent to Kardashian half-siblings Kylie and Kendall Jenner and a longtime member of the Republican Party, ran as a replacement GOP candidate in 2021’s gubernatorial recall election in California. Following an unsuccessful campaign, Jenner received just 1% of the vote, but would be hired by Fox News as an on-air contributor shortly after her failed bid. Jenner has vowed to “always back” former president Donald Trump, and recently called on Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis to agree to pardon Trump in the event DeSantis gets elected.

Patricia “Tan Mom” Krentcil

Patricia Krentcil, aka “Tan Mom,” is running for U.S. Senate in Florida. Krentcil’s rise to fame was generated out of notoriety— she went viral in 2012 for being arrested for allegedly taking her five-year-old daughter to a tanning salon and making her get on a sunbed. Although Krentcil was found not guilty, the infamous headlines — as well as her recognizable over-tanned appearance — transformed her into a public figure. Prior to filing to run as a Republican with the Federal Election Commission, Krentcil was featured numerous times on the Howard Stern Show, released music videos and starred in a seven-episode TV-docuseries, Tan to 10. (Krentcil’s campaign managers are actually her Tan to 10 producers, Gregg Maliff and Adam Barta.) She is running against incumbent Republican Senator Rick Scott. Krentcil exclusively told The Messenger that she could potentially support Donald Trump’s bid for presidential re-election, but needs to see “how the next few months go,” likely referring to the former president’s slew of indictments. She also told The Messenger that she is not supporting Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential race because “I’m a true Floridian now, and I don’t appreciate his attacks on the arts — from book banning to drag — in Florida.”

Mehmet Oz

Dr. Mehmet Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon who transitioned to television. He began his TV career as a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which led to his own daytime talk show, The Dr. Oz Show, where he promoted pseudoscience and paranormal beliefs to millions of Americans as fact-based health advice. He stepped away from the screen and onto the political stage when he ran against Democrat John Fetterman in the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania and lost. Dr. Oz was the first-ever Muslim candidate to be nominated by either major party for U.S. Senate.

Ronald Reagan

Before becoming one of the most prominent conservative figures in American history (still referenced in GOP candidate advertisements and channeled in campaign speeches), Ronald Reagan was a sports broadcaster, radio star, and a well-known film actor. He started his political career as the president of the Screen Actors Guild (the very same actors’ union on strike in 2023) before becoming the 33rd Governor of California and 40th President of the United States, serving from 1981 to 1989.

Antonio Sabàto Jr.

Antonio Sabàto Jr. is a former Calvin Klein model and soap opera star on General Hospital, as well as a former Republican candidate for the 26th District Congressional seat in California. (Sabàto lost to Democrat incumbent Julia Brownley in 2018.) He claims that he was “blacklisted” in Hollywood for his political beliefs, and in 2020 he left California for Florida. Sabàto recently endorsed Donald Trump for his 2024 presidential race.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the 38th Governor of California, serving in office 2003 and 2011 after winning a recall election against then-governor Gray Davis. Although he is not currently active in politics and has pivoted back to acting full-time, Schwarzenegger is still outspoken in his opinions about the state of affairs in American government and society.

Shirley Temple Black

Shirley Temple may have been singing about animal crackers in her soup as a child, but did you know that the actress — who was Hollywood’s number-one box office draw for several years during the Great Depression — was also a trailblazing diplomat? Temple got her start in foreign service following her increase in activity in the California Republican Party and an unsuccessful run in a special election in California’s 11th congressional district in 1967. Henry Kissinger reportedly overheard her talking about South West Africa at a party shortly after her failed run, and was apparently impressed with Temple’s knowledge of South West Africa. She was a delegate to the United Nations under President Richard Nixon, and then was appointed by President Gerald R. Ford to be the United States Ambassador to Ghana from 1974 to 1976, as well as the first-ever female Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1976 to 1977. She was also the first woman to be the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989 to 1992), an appointment given to her by President George H.W. Bush. Temple died in 2014 at age 85.

Donald Trump

Donald Trump served as the 45th president of the United States, preceded by Barack Obama and succeeded by Joe Biden. Trump made a colossal career change in 2016, leaping from real estate and show business to the Oval Office with little-to-no prior political experience. Before becoming president, Trump was best known as the host of the reality TV series The Apprentice from 2004 to 2015 and for his global real estate empire.

Tommy Tuberville

Tommy Tuberville was a head college football coach with a nearly two-decade track record of success at Auburn University, the University of Mississippi, Texas Tech University and the University of Cincinnati. Tuberville ran in Alabama’s Senate election against Democratic incumbent Doug Jones and won. Tuberville is a fierce ally of former president Donald Trump, and was among a group of Republican senators that attempted to overturn president-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020. Tuberville has recently been making headlines because he has been blocking unanimous consent votes for military appointments — through which the Senate typically confirms hundreds of nominations simultaneously — since March, forcing the Senate to go through each nomination one by one, a time-consuming process that can take months to complete. Tuberville has been doing this political stunt in protest of a Defense Department policy allow leave for abortions and paying for travel to procure abortions out-of-state

Herschel Walker

Herschel Walker was a mainstay in the National Football League, playing as a running back for 12 seasons in numerous teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. Before that, he was a legendary college football player, winning the Heisman Trophy as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs in 1982. He returned to Georgia as a Senate candidate for the 2022 election, losing to Democrat incumbent Raphael Warnock in a runoff.