The Spencer Pratt Political Effect Is Spreading To Another Reality TV Star

Former reality star Spencer Pratt (MTV’s “The Hills”) raised eyebrows when he threw his hat in the ring to run for mayor of Los Angeles — but soon, Pratt may not be the only one.

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, who popularized the errands trifecta known as “GTL” (Gym, Tan, Laundry) on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” said recently that he was thinking about a future run for governor in the Garden State.

Sorrentino has had his share of ups and downs since finding fame on the popular reality show, but has since parlayed his own previous struggles with addiction into a drug and alcohol rehab center called Archangels. At a recent launch party for VUE magazine in Wall Township, the former MTV star said that he planned to move into politics after he’d opened an Archangels Center in each of the 50 states.

“I’d like to have an Archangels Center in every 50 states [sic], and after that, you know, I will introduce everybody to Governor Situation,” he explained.

He did not immediately give a party affiliation — but did offer a major hint in the form of a policy he might support: “I can’t announce it yet but I think the residents of New Jersey would like no property tax.”

New Jersey currently has the highest median property tax in the United States — meaning that residents pay more to own property in the Garden State than they would anywhere else in the country. Illinois ranks second, and Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont round out the top five.

Sorrentino may be preparing to follow Pratt’s road map and capitalize on the failures of previous leadership — which, in New Jersey, might simply mean finding a way to provide meaningful relief from the high property tax rates.

Pratt used that strategy to great effect, pressing incumbent Mayor Karen Bass on her handling of the deadly Palisades fire (in which Pratt lost his own home as well as his parent’s home) and the homelessness crisis and rampant drug use in Los Angeles. With 62% of the votes counted as of Thursday afternoon, Pratt is holding steady at second place in California’s jungle primary. If he remains in second place, he will head into a November runoff against Bass, who has already secured the top spot in the primary.