A former Ringling Bros. clown is set to serve his community is a different way by announcing his candidacy for South Carolina's Fifth district.
But before you begin laughing, realize this: he's serious about his candidacy.
Steve Lough, of Camden, says he's running for Congress to improve healthcare, and to prevent incidents like Sandy Hook from happening again, he said in a release.
“We were doing two anti-bullying shows at an elementary school on Camp LeJeune when Sandy Hook happened," Lough explained. "As we left the school, I turned on the radio and heard the news for the first time. For the next six months I couldn’t sleep, felt depressed, and every time I worked with a 6-year-old volunteer in the show, I was reminded of the horror of that day in Newtown. When none of our gun laws changed, I got mad."
The Dartmouth and Ringling Bros. Clown College alum said he dipped his toes into political waters when he volunteered on the 2008 and 2012 Obama presidential campaigns. In 2016, it was the message of Bernie Sanders that made this career clown want to get politically involved.
"What Bernie Sanders is saying is not radical in any other part of the civilized world, it’s common sense. We should invest in our children's education so they can be good citizens, workers should be paid a living wage, and you should be able to go to the doctor when you are sick and not worry about going bankrupt," Lough said. "Single Payer Healthcare works and it saves taxpayer money. My wife is Japanese, I lived in Japan, I have personally seen how Single Payer Healthcare works. I believe healthcare is a basic human right."
Democrat Archie Parnell is also running for this seat and has filed. Rep. Ralph Norman is the incumbent.
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