While Clint Eastwood is known for his unmatched accomplishments in the realm of acting and directing, the Hollywood icon was also a force of nature in the field of politics. Like some other major Hollywood figures, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Unforgiven Star took an interest in running for mayor in his hometown Carmel-by-the-Sea in California in 1986.
Unsurprisingly, it wouldn’t take much effort from Eastwood’s side to win the office, but despite enjoying his 2-year long run as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, he had no big ambitions in politics.
Clint Eastwood’s Political Campaign Was Fueled by His Conflict With City’s Administration
Following his repugnance for the rules and regulations regarding building permits and zoning laws in his hometown, Clint Eastwood eventually decided to take things into his own hands. The dispute between him and the City’s administration would push Eastwood to consider running for Mayor, and just hours before the deadline, he would file the papers. And despite a pretty basic campaign, he would win the election by a landslide against Townsend, capturing 72.5% of the vote, as Eastwood claimed that he approached policies from a business point of view.
During his two-year reign, the Oscar winner worked closely with his community to strengthen it, making it easier to build or renovate and build property while also preserving The Mission Ranch. The former mayor of Carmel also opened the library annex, dedicated for children’s use, which is said to be his proudest accomplishment. Eastwood was quoted saying,
“We got rid of quite a lot of punitive attitudes on the council and helped people get things done. We got things built — beach walkways, a library annex which had been waiting 25 years, and so on. I approached it from a business point of view, not a political one.”
Like Eastwood, Dwayne Johnson, who has been pretty vocal about his admiration for the Western icon, also has been headlining in the political landscape for quite a while now.
Dwayne Johnson Seemingly Shutdowns Possibilities of Entering Politics
After making comments about potentially running for president back in 2017, like Eastwood, it was revealed that a major number of Americans would support his political campaign back in 2021 per poll. And recently, Dwayne Johnson revealed that he was approached by a political party to run for the job, however, the Black Adam Star seemingly shut down the possibilities despite being honored by the offer. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, he said,
“I appreciate it and I’m f**king honored but it made me think, this is either an incredible thing and I’ve got some pretty decent leadership skills, or things are so f**ked up.”
While Dwayne Johnson might not enter the political landscape anytime soon like Clint Eastwood, he did manage to cement himself as one of the biggest names in Hollywood like the Man with No Name.