Kid Rock comes under fire from watchdog over rumored Senate bid

A row has erupted between a nonpartisan watchdog group and Robert Ritchie, the potential Senate candidate and musician better known by his stage name, Kid Rock.

Grassroots group Common Cause filed a complaint Friday against the rocker-cum-rapper alleging violations of federal election laws and urged the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate his purported Senate bid.

Mr. Ritchie began touting a “Kid Rock for Senate” website in July and has hinted ever since at possibly running for office in 2018, but has failed so far to formally register as a candidate, comply with contribution restrictions or publicly disclose contributions to his campaign, the group alleged.

“The Commission’s campaign guide for candidates makes clear that an individual who makes or authorizes statements that refer to themselves as candidates — such as ’Smith for Senate’ or, in this instance, ’Kid Rock for Senate’ — is engaged in campaigning for office and is not merely ’testing the waters’ of candidacy,” Common Cause wrote in a complaint sent Friday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

“Regardless of whether Kid Rock says he’s only exploring candidacy, he’s selling ’Kid Rock for Senate’ merchandise and is a candidate under the law. This is campaign finance law 101,” said Paul S. Ryan, the group’s vice president for policy and litigation.

Mr. Ritchie responded to the complaint later Friday through his official website.

“I am starting to see reports from the misinformed press and the fake news on how I am in violation of breaking campaign law,” Mr. Ritchie wrote. “#1 I have still not officially announced my candidacy. #2 See #1 and go [expletive] yourselves.”

Mr. Ritchie released his first album as Kid Rock in 1990 and eight years later dropped his best-selling record, “Devil Without a Cause.” He’s since earned five Grammy Award nominations and sold more than 35 million records worldwide.

He was touted as a possible Senate candidate in February by Wes Nakagiri, a member of the Michigan GOP, and launched his kidrockforsenate.com website in July through his record label, Warner Bros. He made headlines in the interim for meeting with President Trump at the White House alongside fellow rocker Ted Nugent and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin in April.