Caitlyn Jenner joins celebs mulling run for U.S. political office

[July 18, 2017]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Caitlyn Jenner has joined the list of celebrities who are considering running for political office in the United States following the election of former reality television star Donald Trump as president.

Jenner, who as former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner in 2015 became the highest-profile American to transition to a woman, said she would decide in the next six months or so whether to run for the U.S. Senate in California.

Jenner told John Catsimatidis on his "CATS Roundtable" New York radio show on Sunday, that she is working with activist groups to improve the Republican Party's stance on lesbian, gay and transgender issues.

"Over the next six months or so I gotta find out where I can do a better job. Can I do a better job from the outside working the perimeter of the political scene, being open to talking to anybody, or are you better off from the inside?

"We are in the process of determining that. But yeah, I would look for a senatorial run," she said. Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is up for re-election in California in 2018.

Jenner, 67, is a Republican but in February she criticized the Trump administration for reversing a federal directive that allowed transgender students to use public school bathrooms of their choice.

"From one Republican to another, this is a disaster," she said in a video message to Trump at the time.

The success of Trump, a businessman who found fame through TV reality show "The Apprentice," has encouraged others with no political experience to consider running for office.

Last week country-rock singer Kid Rock, a supporter of Trump, hinted he intends to run for the Senate in 2018 but he has yet to make any official announcement. He has not mentioned where he would run.

Actor and former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has said he might run for the White House someday but has not mentioned a political affiliation.

Previous celebrities who made the transition to politics include action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served two terms as California governor, and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, who was elected Minnesota governor.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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