If a former reality show host like Donald Trump can be elected president, then perhaps a woman known for her deep love of tanning can be a U.S. senator.
That’s because “Tanning Mom” Patricia Krentcil just announced that she’s running in Florida’s 2024 Senate race as a Republican, according to a Tuesday report from TMZ.
Krentcil attained internet infamy in 2012 after she was arrested for allegedly putting her 5-year-old daughter in a tanning booth. She denied the accusation and pleaded not guilty in the case, which was ultimately dropped in 2013.
Krentcil has been out of the spotlight in recent years, though she previously sought to extend her 15 minutes of fame by recording the original song “Free 2 Be Me,” challenging fellow viral sensation Nadya “Octomom” Suleman to a boxing match, and even making a cameo in a gay porn.
Her latest comeback attempt started this week when she submitted a filing with the Federal Election Commission for her Senate bid.
“The thing with my campaign is that you know everything about me from the start,” Krentcil said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “There’s no skeletons or hidden secrets or shocking dirt to be revealed. What you see is what you get because my life has been documented.”
Krentcil may be running as a Republican, but many of her views differ greatly from GOP orthodoxy.
“My platform is pro LGBTQ+; I would vote for RuPaul for President. Let’s mix it up with representation,” she told Fox.
Krentcil’s statement acknowledged that she may not be “the most well spoken, brilliant politician that ever lived.” But as a mother of five with “boots on the ground in Florida,” she said she understands what people are going through — and “it’s not good.”
“Banning Shakespeare, teaching slavery was beneficial? This is the priority when thousands of people can’t pay their home insurance premiums or medical bills!?” she wrote, referring to recent controversies in Florida schools.
It remains to be seen whether the first-time politician can beat incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Scott, but Krentcil promised that she’s up for the job.
“I’ve turned my life around,” she told Fox. “I don’t get disrespected anymore. I don’t party or do any crazy things.”