Melissa Gilbert has announced that she is running for a Michigan Congressional seat and the decision has surprised some entertainment fans and resulted in people comparing her career move to those made by actors turned Republican politicians Fred Thompson and Arnold Schwarzenegger with the only difference being that she will be running as a Democrat for the 8th District (Yahoo Politics - August 11). 
Her decision is intriguing to some entertainment fans because she is not a candidate without campaign experience as she won the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild which she held from 2001 to 2005. She is being looked at as a legitimate candidate by some entertainment fans and political followers who note that as a well-known entertainment figure her Hollywood contacts could prove invaluable in helping convince people to vote for her.
She is an actress politician who entertainment fans of various age groups recognize and can relate to. People between the ages of eighteen to forty years old remember her from her courageous performance on "Dancing with the Stars", a competition she eventually lost but re-introduced her to fans throughout the United States.
Will Melissa Gilbert turn into the democratic version of Republican actors Arnold Schwarzenegger or Fred Thompson is an intriguing conversation that is taking place among some fans on social media? The fact that such a discussion is taking place has some fans thinking that she has a legitimate chance to win this seat and that her decision to run for Congress has been a long-term plan that she has decided to pursue because she senses the timing is ideal with the increased popularity of female politicians in the United States.
Melissa Gilbert, an actress whose next high-profile role might be as a member of the U.S. Congress.
Melissa Gilbert in "Mistaken Identity" poster
