Having expressed an interest in run­ning for elec­tive office—perhaps as a Repub­lican can­di­date in the 2013 New York City mayor’s race—actor Kelsey Grammer may be the latest celebrity hoping to cross over to the world of pol­i­tics. We asked jour­nalism pro­fessor Alan Schroeder to weigh in on the his­tory of celebri­ties who run for office and ana­lyze the advan­tages they have over tra­di­tional candidates.