Persona “ShamWow Guy” Offer Vince Shlomi has filed to run for Congress in Texas, according to a filing by the state’s Republican Party this week.
Shlomi, 61, is an Israeli-American who gained prominence in the United States for his role in a popular infomercial for the cleaning tool “ShamWow” towel.
Shlomi is looking to unseat the incumbent Republican Rep. John Carter, 84, who has served more than two decades in Congress. Earlier this month, he announced his intention to run again.
Shlomi told Fox News that his goal is to “destroy wokeism” in Congress. He said he was motivated by the “political infighting in the country” to pursue the position and “make America happy.”
Shlomi says Charlie Kirk was inspiration for his Congressional run
In a recent interview with TIME, Shlomi cited the September assassination of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist, as the inspiration for his run to represent Texas’s 31st Congressional District.
According to the same interview, he told the media outlet that he was working on a skit called “Woke Busters,” a parody of the film Ghostbusters. According to Shlomi, the skit was about “who destroy the ideology—the false ideology—of wokeism.”
At one point in the skit, he can be heard singing, “If you see a thong that has a shlong, who can you call? Woke busters.”
The former pitchman is not running with a clean slate, according to his arrest record. In 2009, Shlomi was arrested on suspicion of battery following a fight with a woman, who was also arrested, though neither had charges pressed on them. In a 2013 interview with NBC News, he pledged to cut back on partying and took responsibility for the violent incident.
“People understand you make mistakes in life,” he said. “Hopefully I won’t make another mistake.”
Though his candidacy is listed on the state political party’s website, he reportedly has not yet filed with the Federal Election Commission.