Sure, Bruce Springsteen was born to run. But was he born to run for office? Political consultant Doug Friedline thinks so. He’s leading a campaign to get the Boss elected as New Jersey’s next U.S. senator.
A coalition calling itself “The Independence for New Jersey” launched a petition drive yesterday (May 14) to get the 800 signatures of registered voters required by June 4 to place Springsteen on the ballot. It’s not that simple though, officials said. Springsteen would have to sign on to consent to becoming a candidate. His publicist did not return a call seeking comment.
Friedline, of Brooklyn Park, Minn., managed Jesse Ventura’s successful Minnesota gubernatorial campaign in 1998. Not having talked with Springsteen, Friedline is uncertain of the 52-year-old singer’s ideology, but knows this: “His record shows that if he believes in a cause, he’ll get involved.” To that end, his group has launched the Draft the Boss: Springsteen for Senate 2002 Web site.
Volunteers hope Springsteen would run as an independent this fall against incumbent U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli, a Democrat, and whichever Republican emerges from the June 4 primary. The Republican candidates are state Sen. Diane Allen, state Sen. John Matheussen and businessman Doug Forrester.
In other news, uber-Boss fanzine Backstreets reports on its Web site that five new Springsteen songs were previewed last night (May 14) in New York for Sony executives. The site notes that Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau was at the meeting with about 50 others, and one listener’s description of the tracks — “Mary’s Place, “Nothing Man,” “The Rising,” “Lonesome Day,” and “Into the Fire” — as “nothing short of amazing.”
Copyright 2002 Billboard.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.
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