When Thomas Ravenel called everyone to a surprise dinner, the majority of the Charleston crew thought there was going to be an engagement announcement. Turns out, much to Kathryn's dismay, he had called all of his friends to a dinner to announce his candidacy for South Carolina state senator. By now, inquiring minds know that Southern Charm star Thomas Ravenel didn't win his election, though we've seen Thomas out on the campaign trail, kissing babies, shaking hands, getting turned down by parade goers (which was brutal to watch).
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending what your hopes are for South Carolina politics), T-Rav did not t-ake the election by storm. In fact, he didn't even get close, but who is counting voting numbers? Oh, right, the government. Unfortunately, Thomas' election ads weren't enough to win over South Carolina voters, and I really don't blame them because the ads were... weird to say the least. So just how badly did Thomas lose by? Well, the good news is Thomas got on the general election ballot, but the bad news is that he only received 3.9 percent of the overall votes in South Carolina. And incase you didn't know, 3.9 percent is not stellar.
But T-Rav isn't the only reality star to attempt a career at politics. Some reality stars, from all different types of shows, have turned to politics post-TV career. So who else has gone from reality TV to political candidate?
Clay Aiken
You remember Clay Aiken, right? Season 2 runner-up of American Idol, singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and candidate for U.S. House of Representatives? Yes, in 2014, Aiken ran for the U.S. House seat in North Carolina's second congressional district. He won the primary, and did pretty well in the general election. Unfortunately, "pretty well" isn't going to win you an election. In the general election, Aiken got 41 percent of the votes, while the winning candidate received the other 59 percent, forever securing Aiken as a runner-up.
Sean Duffy
Sean Duffy was on The Real World: Boston in 1997, and Road Rules: All Stars in 1998. (Just to remind you how long that show has been on.) In 2010, Duffy ran for U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin in the seventh district, and won. He also ran as the incumbent for 2012 and 2014 and won both elections.
Surya Yalamanchili
Surya Yalamanchili was on The Apprentice in 2006, and ran for U.S. House in 2010. It seems his Trump style firing prepped him for the rough world of politics, because despite winning the primary for the Democratic party, Yalamanchili lost the general election for the second congressional district in Ohio.
Jon Gosselin
Whaaaat? Well, nothing has happened yet, but Gosselin told OK! Magazine that he was considering running for office in Pennsylvania. He has to make a decision by next January. May I suggest he hires Southern Charm-er Whitney for political ads?
Images: Brianna Stello/Bravo; Getty Images (3); Surya Yalamanchili/Facebook
