Former Steelers players are popular in Pittsburgh, but typically not popular enough to parlay the popularity in to Pennsylvania political success.
Former Steelers defensive back Dwayne Woodruff has lost his bid for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the second time in three years that he has run unsuccessfully for the office. Woodruff, a family court judge in Allegheny County, reportedly ran a “low-key campaign,” but he did choose to criticize President Trump for his attack on NFL players who choose to kneel during the anthem via a mailing which claimed that the country’s chief executive “push[ed] our country to become more divided and ultimately penalize[d] our First Amendment rights.”
The Republican Party responded with a mailing that advocated the election of “judges who share our values and stand for the flag.”
Eleven years ago, Steelers Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann ran for governor of Pennsylvania. The Republican gathered 39.6 percent of the vote in a head-to-head race against Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell.
A sixth-round pick of the Steelers in 1979 who made the roster and played in Super Bowl XIV, Woodruff went to law school at night while playing for the Steelers. He plated
