Opinion: “The Predator” proves a political spawning ground

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When the cast of ‘The Predator’ gathered in the jungles of Mexico to make the sci-fi/action/horror flick during the spring of 1986, someone must have been offering a correspondence course in civics during down time.

So far, two of the film’s actors have gone on to win governorships -- leading man Arnold Schwarzenegger, in California, and supporting performer Jesse Ventura, in Minnesota.

This year, two could by running for the U.S. Senate.

One is Ventura, who has been suggesting he may try to resurrect his political career by offering himself as an alternative in a race that already features Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken (himself an entertainment-industry refugee).

The other is Sonny Landham (who, though lesser known than Ventura, shared with him a doomed fate in ‘The Predator’).

In Kentucky, Landham recently announced that he would start collecting petition signatures to qualify as the Libertarian Party candidate against Republican Mitch McConnell (the reigning Senate minority leader).

Landham, who also appeared in ’48 Hours’ (starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte), should qualify for the ballot. His chances of actually winning, of course, are about as good as were his prospects when he went up against that cinematic alien more than 20 years ago.

Still, at least one political observer in Kentucky believes Landham could have an impact on McConnell’s reelection bid, as you can read about here (and also learn more about the actor’s colorful past).

-- Don Frederick

Photo credits: 20th Century Fox (movie poster); Associated Press (Landham)