My Congressman Can Bench Press Your Congressman

It was hard NOT to be energized by this year’s political season. But if you’re anything like me (and consider yourself lucky if you are), politics always pique your interest for one simple reason: athletes running for office!!

True story: when I took Advanced Placement U.S. Government my senior year of high school, I was so in over my head that I NEVER ONCE participated in class discussions… with one exception: the day my teacher asked if anyone could name a former athlete in politics. Let’s just say, considering all the nerds in my class, I swept that discussion like it was a Jeopardy category. Read more after the jump.

Strange as it may seem, athletes have a proud history of holding political office in this country; look no further than former Knick great Bill Bradley, a former US Senator and one-time presidential candidate.

So with that being said, let’s check up on how this year’s crop of athlete-candidates fared:

Heath Shuler - Running for Re-Election as a US Congressman from North Carolina:

Shuler, a tremendous bust as a quarterback with the Redskins (3rd overall pick!), appears to have found his calling in the House of Representatives. He won re-election yesterday with 62% of the vote.

Kevin Johnson - Running for Mayor of Sacramento, California:

Johnson, known to legions of early ‘90’s basketball fans simply as “KJ,” was elected mayor of California’s state capital. KJ is from Sac-to, and despite a nasty race, won by 15 percentage points. Maybe Johnson can give some political pointers to former teammate Charles Barkley, who at one time aspired to be governor of Alabama.

Peter Boulware - Running for US Congress from Florida:

Giants fans remember Boulware as part of the ridiculous Ravens defense that obliterated the G-men in Super Bowl XXV. Now, as of this posting, Boulware is still awaiting the results of his run for US Congress from an area encompassing Tallahassee, Florida. At last count, Boulware was trailing his opponent by 403 votes, enough to justify an automatic machine recount. Florida’s Secretary of State said a decision to recount won’t be made until Saturday. I’m not quite sure where the confusion lies….if he’s within the allowable percentage for a recount, just do it!!…..but hey, that’s Florida for ya.