'Tan Mom' Patricia Krentcil announces United States Senate run: 'I want to use my power of fame'
As one orange politician falls amid a multitude of indictments, another rises.
Pop culture phenomenon, controversial parent, and celebrity subject on the RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 Snatch Game Patricia Krentcil — also known as Tan Mom — has announced that she's running for a Florida seat in the United States Senate.
"A single mother of 5, she has persevered through persecution and wants change in her home state of Florida, and throughout the country," Krentcil's campaign site indicates. "After filming a life-changing docuseries called Tan to 10, Patricia went out in the streets of Florida and came face-to-face with the heartbreaking issues affecting so many here. From the attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, equality, diversity, and beyond, Patricia is a champion for those who are underserved, and underheard. As a lover of the outdoors — and yes she advocates for using a high SPF these days — she also is champion for the environment."
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In a statement, Krentcil added, "I want to use my power of fame, and personal struggles, to bring awareness of the need for equality and diversity, especially in a time when our nation is in such a crisis."
Her site also outlines Krentcil's stances on several political issues, including healthcare, LGBTQIA+ issues, her desire to fight for "beautiful beaches for all our kids" amid global warming, and ensuring "every child to have the opportunity for a good education, without banned books" amid Florida's recent surge of conservative conspiracies seeping into local politics.
Krentcil rose to viral fame in 2012 after she was accused of bringing her young daughter into a tanning booth, though a grand jury ultimately decided not to indict her for child endangerment.
Since then, she's recorded her single "Glossy," appeared on The Howard Stern Show, and starred in the streaming series Tan to 10, which followed her life as a mother of five navigating family life after the death of her husband.
Most recently, Drag Race season 15 contestant Amethyst parodied Tan Mom for the fan-favorite Snatch Game celebrity impersonation challenge.
"In my mind, Tan Mom was the weirdest choice, but it made the most sense to me," Amethyst told EW's Quick Drag podcast of deciding to play Krentcil, adding that she even heard from the star after the Snatch Game episode aired. "She tweeted about the show in general, just how great Drag Race is. She said that I did her justice or something. The tweets are a little hard to understand because she's Tan Mom, so after deciphering the tweets for about two hours, I sat there, like, did she like it? I really can't tell with this verbiage she's using. I was like, no, she liked it."
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