Dr. Butch Ware is flexing his muscles for politics
In a video for his gubernatorial campaign in California, the candidate works out with his arms out. "Are you tired of the fitness to fascist right wing pipeline?" his voiceover says, "Well, here's a chest workout that doesn't end in a nazi salute."
And, yes, POLISHed Ones, I too clutched my pearls.
Nothing wrong with a little thirst-trapping for the girls, gays, and theys. But there's a political message at the heart of the video. Claiming California as the "fitness capital of the United States," Ware desires to reclaim fitness content allegedly co-opted from right-wing content creators. "When properly conceived," Ware says in the video, "attention to bodily health is a crucial part of our body politic."
The message is also personal. Once weighing over 300 pounds, Ware dealt with several health issues. But after losing over 100 pounds of body fat and gaining 10 pounds of muscle in a year – "unlike that Republican bodybuilder governor," he adds, doing so naturally. Turning 50 in the past year, he hit a personal fitness goal: a 500-pound squat and 30 repetitions of 225 pounds while using the bench press. "My faith and my politics have been a personal part of my journey," Ware says in the video. "I don't believe in shortcuts. I believe in commitment, hard work, and discipline."
Ware affirms that the best and healthiest version of ourselves helps build the strength and will to aid and support communities and beyond. "The instrument that we use to make the world a better place is the whole of ourselves. In the Green Party, we don't have politicians; we have public servants." His inclusive campaign is most evident in the recent appointment of Angelica Ross as his Deputy Campaign Manager. POLISH revealed on Monday that the Emmy-nominated actor, activist, and tech entrepreneur was named to the post, becoming the first highest-ranking openly Black trans woman in a major U.S. governorship campaign.
“I came to this campaign because I believe in Dr. Ware’s vision,” Ross said in a statement. “I’ve spent my career using every tool I have in tech, in entertainment and in organizing to level playing fields that were never built with people like me in mind. This role is the natural extension of that work.”
Ware is the Green Party candidate in the upcoming California governor's race. Primary elections will be held on June 2nd, with May 18th being the last day for Californians to register to vote. The general elections will take place on Tuesday, November 3rd.
