Grant Hill for US Senate?

Grant Hill's name being floated by some Democrats as a Democratic candidate for US Senate shows the short-sightedness of some.

When I heard that John Morgan was courting Grant Hill to be a Democratic candidate for US Senate, I was thinking “oh, that’s interesting, the guy who used to play for the Bull and Magic who wore the goggles.”

Nope, I that was Horace Grant. Therein lies the problem.

After years of failure, Democrats trying to court “celebrities” to run for office shows just how desperate some of them have become. Not only does it show that Florida Democrats don’t have a bench to boast about, but that they don’t even have a fundamental idea why they are losing. (Note: both basketball puns were totally unintended).

This is when we have to look at the reality of the situation, Democrats are different. Democrats look for more in a candidate than just popularity. Democrats are less likely to flock to someone just because they used to makes millions by bouncing a ball around a court. Go to any Democratic Party function and ask someone about any sport, and many times you will get a blank stare. Yes, sports are popular with some, but not with others. In addition, there really hasn’t been any data that shows causation that being a sports celebrity leads to people actually voting for you.

Now yes, there are exceptions. If we look at basketball, the only real Democratic exception is Bill Bradley. While being a basketball player might have helped Bradley’s popularity, he was extremely smart when it came to issues facing the nation. He wasn’t politically illiterate, like a certain Senate candidate who ran for the Republicans last year. He knew his stuff. Had he been a Hershel Walker-type candidate, chances are there wouldn’t have been a Senator Bradley.

Besides Bradley, the only high-profile sports celebrity to win for the Democrats was Heath Schuler, and his support was regional. Also, the Mayor of Detroit was an NBA All-Star. Seriously, I’m having to use Wikipedia to come up with this list. Point being that sports celebrities don’t always equate to wins, especially for Democrats.

In the 2022 election, the primary reason why Democrats lost was because registered Democrats didn’t turn out to vote. Until evidence shows me otherwise, I don’t see how Grant Hill is going to boost Democratic turnout. Yes, it’s thinking outside of the box, but very few cases have shown that it’s been successful.

Which brings me to the picture at the start of this article. Seriously, I confused Grant Hill and Horace Grant. Now I’m not a fan of basketball nowadays, but I did watch the Bulls during their heyday and knew who the players were. Still, I confused the two players. If I, a Bulls fan from the 90s, can’t even get it straight, how does the average voter even have a clue as to who Grant Hill is? Most people, especially those who we need to vote, probably don’t.

But let’s take away all of the basketball celebrity stuff. Let’s just act like Grant Hill is a downtown Orlando lawyer from a nationwide law firm that wants to run for statewide office. Where is he on the issues?

That’s isn’t a rhetorical questions…where does he actually stand on the issues facing the nation?

I’ve done some research on Hill, and I haven’ been able to find where he falls on the issues facing Floridians today. So, Democrats are supposed to feel enthused to vote for someone who they know nothing about? I’m not sure if that is going to fly, especially with Democratic voters.

Also, watching a few videos of Grant Hill, he is not charismatic whatsoever. This is another problem that Democrats have…picking candidates that are as exciting as watching paint dry. And that’s pretty sad when you are talking about running against someone with Rick Scott’s “charisma”.

But still, while Rick Scott might not be the most dynamic person is the room, he sure knows how to turn the debate stage into his own killing field. Whether it’s Alex Sink’s cell phone or Charlie Crist’s fan, he knows how to change the dynamic to make it look like Democrats are cheating. Can Grant Hill really challenge Rick Scott in a debate? I don’t think so.

At the end of the day, Grant Hill would be another also-ran, like Hugh Rodham in the past, that Democrats will forget about in a few years time. Unfortunately, against a vulnerable Rick Scott, picking the right candidate in a presidential election year is crucial. Hopefully Democrats won’t fuck it up.