Ben Savage, who played Cory Matthews in the beloved ‘90s sitcom “Boy Meets World,” recently announced his intention to run for Congress. 

Savage, a Democrat, will be running for representative of California’s 30th District during the 2024 election, USA Today reported. 

It is about time that we see more individuals that millennials and Gen Z recognize running for office. 

Savage isn’t the only celebrity who has expressed his interest in politics. 

Actor and author Matthew McConaughey has been voicing his political views for years and expressed his desire to run for governor of Texas until he changed his mind at the last second, the New York Times reported. 

Additionally, former U.S. president Ronald Reagan was an actor before he took office. 

“He (Reagan) studied economics and sociology, played on the football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades, he appeared in 53 films,” according to The White House. 

Renata Petersen, sophomore political science major, believes it is great to see more individuals get involved, no matter their current occupation, so long as they are educated in politics. 

“I am extremely pro-meritocracy,” Petersen said. “For me, it doesn’t matter what your gender is, what your race is, if you are qualified and if you have higher education then you should be able to get the job.”

However, Petersen does understand why others might be hesitant to support a celebrity running for political office, given that they usually don’t have enough background in politics to do the job correctly. 

“From the perspective of a college student, like, I am someone who would like to go into Congress one day. So I’m learning about the law,” Petersen said. “I am learning about how our government works whereas someone like Matthew McConaughey spent most of his life acting and not getting that basic education.”

We need more individuals with the drive to get agendas moving and involved in politics. Whether it’s an actor, author or singer-songwriter, if they have the qualifications and a platform, they should use it.