Actress Melissa Gilbert, who played the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder in the “Little House on the Prairie” television series, announced on August 10th that she is running for Congress.
Vying with current Republican Representative Mike Bishop, Gilbert hopes her democratic views on the economy can win over Michigan’s 8th congressional district.
On the day of her announcement, Gilbert tweeted “Please join me in my fight for working families”. This tweet has received 325 retweets and a little under 400 favorites in less than 24 hours.
Bishop won his last Congressional race against prominent Democrat Eric Schertzing with 54% of the vote, so winning against Gilbert’s brand and name recognition will prove challenging.
However, Gilbert does have a challenge of her own that Bishop’s campaign spokesman Stu Sandler was quick to point out; her federal income taxes that she allegedly failed to pay. The IRS had filed a $360,000 tax lien against Gilbert earlier this summer.
Between the outpour of love on social media for Melissa Gilbert and her federal income tax debt, only time will tell what this Congressional race holds in store for her.
Melissa Gilbert’s new move from Big Screen to Big Politician. Photo Source: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images/FILE