Nope, George Takei Isn't Running For Congress

LGBTQ rights activist and groundbreaking actor George Takei shocked pretty much everyone when Takei announced that he was planning to run for Congress on Friday. Although a lot of us were excited about Takei's intention to challenge California congressman Devin Nunes — the head of the House Intelligence Committee — for his seat in 2018, it turns out the announcement was only an April Fool's Day joke. On Saturday, Takei confirmed via Twitter that he would not be pursuing the seat, tweeting, "No, I'm not running for Congress. Happy 4/1!" along with a selfie of him holding a sign that reads, "Gotcha!" So the dreams of Congressman Takei are on hold for now, but the actor used this opportunity to lend his support to another candidate who is running for election: Jon Ossoff, a Democrat who is running for Congress in a special election in Georgia.

The reason many people got excited about Takei's announcement is because it seemed totally plausible. For those of you not familiar, Takei and his husband Brad Altman were recently rumored to have purchased a home in Visalia, California. Their decision to move away from Los Angeles confused many, because the city is the entertainment capital of the world, after all. Then on Friday, March 31, Takei told The Daily Buzz that they were moving so that he could run for office.

Takei explained,

With what is going on now in the country, I couldn’t stand by any longer merely as a citizen. I knew I had to take a bigger stand. So that’s why I’m running for Congress. My hope is to challenge Devin Nunes for his seat in 2018. I think Nunes is vulnerable. And I plan to prove that. People are tired of his ass-kissing of Trump.

I mean, can you see why his fans got excited? Nunes has come under fire for his handling of information related to the investigation into President Trump’s alleged involvement with the Russian interference in the presidential election, and a lot of people are quite concerned about his actions.

As awesome as it would be to see a Takei head to Washington, unfortunately his "announcement" was just an April Fool's Day gag and he used the moment to also bring attention to Jon Ossoff's Special Election campaign in Georgia.

Takei tweeted his support for Ossoff, and clarification that he was not running for Congress early in the morning on April 1. Now, although I definitely think it's great that Takei is using his platform to bring awareness to Ossoff's campaign, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Takei definitely seems like the type of celebrity who could actually make a positive impact in Congress. Plus, he already has political experience! As The Daily Buzz pointed out, Takei served on the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District, and also ran an (unsuccessful) bid for a seat on Los Angeles' City Council in 1973.

Plus, his intentions seemed both legit and inspiring. "I want to be a champion for all people," Takei said, "but especially those whose voices are not heard often in the halls of Congress." Like, doesn't he sound like the type of person you'd want in the House of Representatives? I certainly think so! And with that in mind let me propose a hopeful theory — what if Takei's tweet today is his actual April Fool's Day joke. Meaning his denial of his intention to run is the gag, and he is still planning to run against Nunes? Yes, I know it may seem like a stretch, but I'm going to remain optimistic. Team Takei 2018!