Boy Meets World star Ben Savage is running for Congress in the 2024 election. If elected, he will serve as a Democratic Representative for the West Hollywood district. This current campaign isn’t Savage’s first encounter with politics. He may be known as an entertainer, but he also has some experience as a politician. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University and he has interned at Capitol Hill before.
Boy Meets World was a heartwarming and comedic coming-of-age sitcom about friendship. The show ran from 1993 until 2000, so many millennials watched Savage and his co-stars grow up together. Before Boy Meets World, Savage appeared on a few episodes of Dear John and A Family for Joe as well as in a few movies, including Little Monsters, Hurricane Sam, and She Woke Up. In his time after Boy Meets World, he continued his acting career on movies such as Swimming Upstream, Car Babes, Making It Legal, and Closing Time. Then, in 2014 he joined his show’s reboot, Girl Meets World, as the father and teacher of the main character, so he may have a few Gen Z fans as well.
Political scientists have debated how much fame can affect a political election. There are many instances of celebrities both winning and losing political elections, so it’s unclear if fame has any impact at all. Former President Donald Trump was once a reality star, but other more well-known celebrities, such as Shirley Temple and Caitlyn Jenner, have lost elections in California before. Political science professor David Jackson has an interesting perspective on this topic; “some people can be celebrities within one group but virtually unknown among other people”. This statement may be applicable to Savage, since Boy Meets World is not as well-known as other 90s sitcoms like Friends and Full House.
As a part of their pre-show chatter, his former co-stars discussed his campaign in an episode of their podcast Pod Meets World. Rider Strong and Danielle Fishel both agreed that their decisions in the voting booth are based on their personal political beliefs rather than whom they know Will Fridel, who portrayed the older brother of Savage’s character, chose not to comment on the election since he was raised to believe that politics are a private matter. This discussion is an example of how Savage’s extensive network of contacts in the entertainment industry may not automatically translate into political support.
His campaign slogan is “Together, we can do better.” The priorities listed on his campaign website include the economy, safety, affordable housing, education, healthcare, women’s rights, the environment, and equality. To improve the economy and encourage entrepreneurship, he will advocate for simplifying the legal process of starting a small business and lowering taxes for small business owners. Savage also plans to advance worker’s rights by protecting unions and raising minimum wage. To increase access to healthcare, Savage will advocate for the regulation of pharmaceutical companies. He also plans to fight for women’s rights by advocating for equal pay, paid maternity leave, and the codification of Roe v. Wade. To protect the environment, Savage plans to encourage manufacturers to reduce their carbon emissions. Although some of his ideas are more left leaning, like his support of free community college, some of his ideas are more moderate, like providing more training for police officers in order to resolve the tensions between law enforcement and civilians.
The seat that he is running for is currently occupied by Representative Adam B. Schiff, and Savage is not the only contender for this seat. Voters will likely have about a dozen candidates to choose from in the primary election. Although Savage has name recognition in the entertainment industry, his opponents have name recognition in the government. His opponents include school board member Nick Melvoin, former City Attorney Mike Feuer, California Senator Anthony Portantino, and Assembly member Laura Friedman.
Overall, this former sitcom star has been working on leaving the world of entertainment and meeting the world of politics. His name recognition, political science degree, and clear communication of his political views may be the perfect recipe for success in this election. The 2024 primaries and general election will certainly be interesting to watch!