They may be winners on TV, but when it comes to politics, the Colombian entertainers who ran for Congress lost out.
Former TV anchor Maria Fernanda Valencia promised to pose naked in a magazine if she won a seat in the House of Representatives. Her campaign promise failed to entice voters on Sunday’s election.
Vanessa Mendoza, the first Afro-Colombian to win the Miss Colombia contest in 2001, also failed to win a seat in Bogota’s House of Representatives for the Cambio Radical party. This was despite a campaign platform that promised to battle corruption and work for the rights of children, Afro-Colombias and women.
Other Colombian stars were unable to make the leap from entertainment to politics. Soap opera actor Haydee Ramirez, a Conservative Party candidate, failed to rally enough supporters, as did sports commentator Javier Hernandez Bonnet, who left his successful career at Caracol Radio to run his campaign.
Actress Aura Christina Geithner penned a song for her political campaign, “The 48 Sweetie,” a reference to her number on the Liberal Party’s voting list . Despite her creative efforts, she was also thoroughly trounced by her political opponents.
Soapstar dreamboat Gregorio Pernia promised to sentence corrupt politicians to 40 years in prison, and said he would take a similar hardline stance against domestic abuse against women. He, too, was spurned by voters.
Sports stars also came up short, including cyclist Fabio Parra, who holds the highest placement in the Tour de France for a South American. Bullfighter Gitanillo de America, despite his ability to face down giant, angry bulls in a public arena, only managed a paltry 1,400 votes.
TV commentator Jay Leno remarked once that politics is show business for ugly people. But for Colombia’s spurned political aspirants, at least they can always go back to their day job.