Erika Harold is running for congress. The former Miss America winner announced last month that she was thinking about running for congress and now its official. Harold will replace Illinois Rep. Tim Johnson, who won the GOP nomination in March but recently dropped out of the race, as one of the candidates for the 13th Congressional District of Illinois.
“I have decided to submit the application to fully participate in the selection process, and if I was selected, I would be honored to accept the nomination.”
Harold won the Miss America pageant in 2003 and now works as a lawyer in Chicago. Harold said that her Harvard education, her life as a Beauty Queen, and her work with the Prison Fellowship ministries, make her an excellent candidate for congress.
Harold said:
“I think I’ve had a pretty unique set of life experiences. I think those experiences and interacting with so many different people as Miss America, as a lawyer and in many other capacities will hopefully equip me to be able to relate to and serve as an effective advocate for the diverse interests within the district.”
Harold is one of four Republican candidates who may take on Democratic nominee David Gill in the November’s general election. Harold will have to win a vote against Jerry Clark, Rodney Davis and Kathy Wassink on May 19 to secure the nomination.
The Associated Press notes that Harold won’t be the first member of congress with an unusual background. Former “Saturday Night Live” star Al Franken, astronaut John Glenn, and musician Sonny Bono have all served in congress. Will Miss America be next?
