Talk radio kingpin Michael Savage recently told his 7 million listeners that he felt a strong calling to run for the U.S. Senate seat in California. The popular host followed up with a statement spelling out his intended platform and issues of importance as a potential lawmaker.
But no more.
Mr. Savage has changed his mind, influenced he said, by his ability as a radio host to effectively push back against President Trump’s recent decision to allow elephant trophy imports into the U.S.
“My real role is better served here behind this microphone than as a senator, where I would be one of 100. Right now, I am at the pinnacle of my profession. I am in the top 5 of people in radio and the number one streaming talk radio show. I have seen that my influence goes much further and carries much more weight than it would if I was in the United States Senate,” Mr. Savage said a statement released Friday.
“In the Senate, people are seen as just partisan. Many times you have to go against what you believe to please the leadership of your party, or a lobbyist, or a donor. That’s just the nature of the beast. In radio, you can be seen in many ways. You can seem partisan at times, but uniting in others. All in all, I don’t have to betray my beliefs or who I am to please a constituency,” the host said.
He also alluded to politics in his home state of California.
“I have more freedom to promote America’s agenda on the radio, than I would in Congress. Pragmatically, we all know the Democrats have rigged the voting in this state so overwhelmingly that no American patriot would stand a fair chance. So I will stay here, behind this microphone, for the foreseeable future. While I know California is in dire need of leadership politically, my position in the media helps me better serve the state and the nation,” Mr. Savage said.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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