Former athletes and coaches turning to politics as a second act is nothing new. There’s a former Auburn football coach serving in the Senate as we speak. And now, it seems the Democrats are eyeing a former MLB star and current Fox Sports analyst for a House race.
According to Jacob Rubashkin of Inside Elections, a Democratic group recently attempted to court former St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright to run against Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) in Missouri’s second congressional district. Per Rubashkin, a poll last month tested Wainwright against the seven-time incumbent.
NEWS | Congressman Waino?
A Democratic group recently attempted to recruit former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright to run against GOP Rep. Ann Wagner in MO-02.
A May 21-22 survey tested the 3x All-Star against the 7x incumbent.https://t.co/Pt1cU7cFfT
— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) June 9, 2025
Last year, Wainwright signed a full-time deal with Fox Sports to become an MLB analyst. The former pitcher calls a full schedule of regular season and postseason games for Fox. Prior to inking a full-time deal, Wainwright worked for Fox in a limited capacity during the 2020, 2021, and 2023 seasons. Waino also works as an analyst for MLB Network.
Rubashkin suggests that sources “don’t believe he will ultimately run,” despite the Democratic group’s polling. Considering his gig at Fox is so fresh, it seems unlikely that Wainwright would be pulled away for politics. Though it’s hard to count anybody out in this day and age.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.