Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States, running for California governor? Not so fast!
Fans were left in utter disbelief when Barack Obama showed up as a candidate for California governor.
Closer inspection shows another politician with the same name was actually running in the state’s gubernatorial race.
More than 60 candidates were running in California’s June 2 gubernatorial primary, including Barack Denzel Obama Shaw
Obama Shaw plans to leverage his shared name with former President Barack Obama to stand out in the crowded race.
Born Cecil Shaw III, the former U.S. Army Reservist changed his name over 10 years ago due to his admiration of Obama.
“Barack Obama brought a hope into the world that I had never seen or experienced before,” he said, adding that former President Obama “was the catalyst that had me legally change my name because I believe that people today need that same type of hope.”
Obama Shaw continued, “Barack Obama is the superhero. I’m the guy wearing his suit, that’s me. I’m the one who has the privilege that carries that banner around.”
He also revealed that Obama wasn’t the only reason for his name change.
He wanted to pay tribute to a certain two-time Academy Award winner as well.
“When I got out of high school people used to say to me ‘You remind me of Denzel Washington,’” Obama Shaw told Newsweek.
“Later on it became Barack Obama. I wanted a uniform that didn’t come off, something that was going to remind me of the new me: a person of hope, a person of music, a person of leadership.”
Per the outlet, Obama Shaw dipped his toe into the political pool for the first time back in 2022 with a run for Alameda mayor.
“I found myself complaining about my country, how Black people are being treated and just different situations,” he said. “So I took on a stance that I was going to stop complaining and start campaigning.”
Fans reacted with a mix of emotions after news spread online about Barack Obama running for California governor.
“That would be hilarious if he was white. He’s black but it’s still kinda funny,” one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“This is a joke, right?” a second user questioned. “I saw that when I filled out my ballot and laughed hahaha,” a commenter shared.
Another user praised the political strategy, but admitted that it’s not a guaranteed win. “Brilliant…but might not work,” they wrote.
“There’s a Black guy running for Governor of California named Barack Obama Shaw. I was so confused looking at my ballot lol,” a user hilariously admitted.
However, instant name recognition aside, it’s the 56-year-old Democrat’s policies and plans, should he win, that are the most important.
He shared what voters could look forward to should they decide to select his name on the California ballot, as his platform “includes solving the homelessness crisis, building more housing, and cutting unnecessary spending.”
Obama Shaw is currently trailing behind gubernatorial race frontrunners like billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.
He plans to continue pursuing his political ambitions beyond the current primary.
He also offered his take on what current POTUS Trump is doing in the White House and shared that if elected he would work with him.
“What I learned from the military is you respect the rank…even if you don’t like the person, you always respect the rank, and that’s something I still do to this day. I respect the rank, the title of this is President of the United States,” Obama Shaw told Newsweek.
“Now, I don’t like what the man is saying, or the thing he’s doing, but he is the president, and so even if he’s not respecting it himself, I’m still going to respect that rank.”
