Talk about a prank gone wrong! Remember that fake run for Senate that Kid Rock put on last year as a publicity stunt? Apparently he got enough people riled up that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) needed to get involved and address the complaint they received from the Office of General Counsel (OGC) about the singer's selling of “Kid Rock for US Senate" merchandise and failing to "register a principal campaign committee and file disclosure reports with the Commission."

Luckily for Rock, cooler heads have prevailed, as the FEC ruling rejected OGC’s recommendations and instead voted to dismiss the matter as "an exercise of prosecutorial discretion." As explained in a lengthy filing, it was found that Rock - aka Robert Ritchie - never had any serious intentions to run, which he flippantly confirmed on the Howard Stern Show in October of last year when asked by the host if he was really running. "Fuck no, I’m not running for Senate!" he replied. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

The pertinent aspect of the FEC filing reads as follows:

"Ritchie — who respondents credibly argue is barred from being identified as “Kid Rock” on a Michigan election ballot — does not appear to have taken even the most basic steps to become a candidate. There is no evidence that Ritchie ever established a committee or campaign account, sought ballot access, hired a campaign staff or political consultants, sought to participate in a candidate debate, opened a campaign office, or solicited contributions for a
campaign. Nor does the record show that Ritchie made statements indicating he was a candidate under his legal name. In contrast to all these steps not taken, Ritchie explicitly disclaimed that he was running for Senate, or that he had ever intended to do so, more than a year before the general election. Accordingly, we do not believe the record in this matter — the sale of concert themed merchandise by a musician who explicitly disclaimed candidacy — implicates concerns which are central to the Commission’s regulatory mission or deserving of its resources."

In what added even more fuel to the fire, Jimmy Kimmel convinced some people on Election Day earlier this month (Nov. 6) that Rock not only ran for the Senate seat in Michigan, but that he actually won. It was all part of his recurring segment titled, "Lie Witness News," where he sends his crew out into the streets to get reactions from people about news stories he's made up.

Back in September, Kid Rock released the collection Greatest Hits You Never Saw Coming. He and Kanye West were on hand at the White House in October when President Trump signed the Music Modernization Act (MMA) into law.

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