Stacey Dash's Congressional Run Comes To A Surprising End

Well, that was quick. Just over a month after officially filing paperwork to score a seat in California's 44th congressional district, Stacey Dash is no longer running for Congress. The Clueless alum and former Fox News commentator announced the news via a statement that she posted to Twitter on Friday evening. "After much prayer, introspection and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my candidacy for California’s 44th Congressional District," the statement begins.

Dash goes on to state that, despite dropping out of the race, the actor's original goal "to improve the lives of people who have been forgotten for decades by the Democratic Party" still stands. And she reveals later that her decision to withdraw her bid was mostly due to the fear of how the private lives of her loved ones might have been affected by her campaign. She wrote,

"At this point, I believe that the overall bitterness surrounding our political process, participating in the rigors of campaigning, and holding elected office would be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of my family. I would never want to betray the personal and spiritual principles I believe in most: that my God and my family come first."

When it comes to political viewpoints, the 51-year-old actor has a pretty controversial track record. Dash raised a lot of eyebrows back in 2016 when she appeared on Fox & Friends and made claims that Black History Month should not only no longer be celebrated, but also that it should be eliminated entirely. According to Variety, she also stated that, in order for society to completely rid itself of segregated spaces, networks like BET (Black Entertainment Television) also shouldn't exist.

"Either we want to have segregation or integration," she told the Fox & Friends hosts. "And if we don't want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, where you're only awarded if you're black. If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It's a double standard."

Dash makes a point to briefly mention in her statement the backlash that many of her past comments have drawn, while bringing up that the "real controversy" is how "decades of government corruption and political disempowerment" have existed within the 44th district by the officials currently representing it.

Stacey Dash announced her bid for a seat in California's 44th congressional district in late February. The district in question includes cities and communities like Compton, North Long Beach, San Pedro, and Lynwood, and is currently represented by Nanette Barragán.

Back in early February, Dash tested the waters before officially announcing her plans by asking her half a million Twitter followers what thoughts they had on her diving deeper into politics and running for office. Alongside a photo of what would later become her campaign slogan, "Dash To D.C.," she tweeted, "A number of people online and off have suggested I run for political office. I wanted to see what my online community thinks of this idea as I mull the possibilities. Thoughts?"

Judging by her later decision to formally announce her run, the actor apparently received a decent amount of good feedback from her followers. She followed the tweet up two weeks later by announcing in a separate tweet that "formal statements are coming." Dash continued, "For those mocking for the district I live in...open your minds. It's time for me to put up or shut up and I want to serve great people."

Even though Stacey Dash has withdrawn her bid just one short month later, she made clear in her official statement that she will continue to speak out about the problems currently facing the 44th district.