Wrestling star Glenn Jacobs, known as "Kane" in the ring, is on the campaign trail in Knox County, Tenn., where he's running for mayor in a district that President Donald Trump won by almost 24 percentage points.
Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, a Republican, is term-limited and set to step down in August 2018. The state GOP primary is May 1 of that year, and Jacobs is getting a head start. The Bleacher Report followed the World Wrestling Entertainment star as he met with locals and attended an award ceremony for Knoxville businesses.
"Most politicians campaign trying to convince folks that they are the people they seem to be on TV," Jacobs' campaign manager Bryan Hair told the Report. "Our mission is the opposite: We're trying to show people Glenn isn't the man they've seen on TV."
Jacobs added, "In politics, perception can be reality. But I'm not interested in people who want to vote for me because they know Kane from TV. I want people to vote for me because of my positions. Name recognition is a door opener, and I use it, but I believe you stay inside only if you have good ideas. All I ask is for a forum to prove that I have those ideas."
The WWE champion was an infrequent contributor for libertarian website LewRockwell.com, though his last article was published in 2014, and he opened an insurance company with his wife in Tennessee that same year, according to Wrestleview.com.
"The presidential election was very long and very contentious, and I think people may need a little break, so I try not to push," said Jacobs, who supported Trump. "And educating people is the most important part of what I do. Even if I don't change people's minds, I like to give them a new perspective."
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