Big Ed Brown is one of the most polarizing figures in 90 Day Fiance history.
Appearing everywhere as a meme, he very quickly set about alienating fans with his gross behavior on and off-screen.
Even his own castmates think that he’s gross and desperate to be married, which is saying a lot coming from this crowd.
Now, Big Ed has set his sights on public office … starting with the governorship of California.
This sounds bizarre … because it is.
In a video where Ed’s face is flushed, he is wearing a name tag, and holding a glass of red wine, Ed spoke to the camera.
He identified the person recording the TikTok video (which he then shared to Instagram) as Liz Woods, his fiancee.
“I officially declare myself as a write-in candidate for the governorship for the state of California,” Ed announces.
“I want to stand on several different platforms,” he says.
“But one,” Ed says, “I want to stand up for the little guy.”
It’s hard to tell if that part was a joke about his height or not.
Ed also speaks about his desire to support “local businesses” and “anyone that rides a vespa.”
He then speaks about wanting to “stand up for trade schools.”
This is where it sounds more like a political platform and less like a joke.
Ed says that he wants to encourage people to attend trade schools, since college isn’t for everyone — which is true.
He then declares that he wants universities “to pay for it,” which is bizarre and sounds like it would be punishing one group of students to reward another.
Ed was clearly drinking during the video, hanging out with friends with plenty of alcohol appearing during the short clip.
Perhaps this was simply a friendly gathering and Ed was acting upon a tasteless dare.
However, Ed seems to be committing to the bit by sharing another post encouraging people to write in his name in 2023.
Write-in campaigns succeed under extraordinary circumstances in extremely small towns and in Hallmark movies (and there’s a lot of overlap there).
In real life, they make a mockery of the voting process and may serve to make tight races even more grueling and easily contested than they otherwise need to be.
Outside of extremely unlikely circumstances, these write-ins feel like a waste of time and paper — while insulting people for whom elections can have dire consequences.
That is, of course, not the only problem with Ed running.
Unlike Harambe or Deez Nuts, Ed could theoretically take political office.
While many people (not Ed) could do wonderfully if they ran for office, governorship over America’s most populous state is not an entry-level position.
California includes 13% of all United States citizens.
The state of California is one of the largest economies in the world — the equivalent in economic might to France.
Even if Ed were not characterized by many as a detestable pervert or nicknamed “Big Pred” by a lot of viewers, he’s still woefully unqualified.
If someone wants to enter politics for the first time, city councils are a great place to do that.
Another excellent option is the state legislature, especially if the hopeful candidate has specific policies and projects in mind.
Frankly, Ed has too many scandals and too few qualifications to be a traffic guard, but these are more realistic goals than governorship.
If Ed is serious, he would not be the first reality TV buffoon or the first alleged sexual predator to seek public office.
That doesn’t mean that someone fitting either description needs to be governor, however.
Hopefully, this is all just a bad joke.