ShamWow Guy Running for US House Rep Seat in Texas

Offer Shlomi, the infomercial pitchman popularly known as the “ShamWow Guy,” has officially filed to run for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in Texas, state election records showed.

The 61-year-old registered to compete in the Republican primary for the 31st Congressional District under the name Offer Vince “ShamWow” Shlomi, according to his registration filing received on Nov. 21.

Shlomi, who also goes by the name Vince Offer, serves as the president and CEO of Square One Entertainment and launched a podcast called “The ShamWow Guy Show” in 2023, according to a September 2023 statement.

He became a household name through his promotion of the ShamWow, an absorbent towel that went viral in the late 2000s. Shlomi also directed and starred in the 1999 film “The Underground Comedy Movie.”

Shlomi has yet to issue any statement to formally announce his candidacy, but he shared a Fox News article announcing his decision on social media. He told the news outlet on Nov. 23 that he was motivated to run for Congress to fight what he described as “wokeism” and because of the “political infighting in the country.”

Shlomi told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that his congressional bid is motivated in part by what he calls “wokeism” affecting young children.

“It’s mainly because I see kids who are happy and then as they get older, they’re unhappy because they’re being subjected to wokeism,” he said, adding that tech giants discriminate “against conservative views and also comedy that ridicules the woke ideology.”

“So it can never die, hence hate gets manifested in these kids and fear as well because it goes hand in hand, and then you see these kids grow up from adolescence to a young adult, and [they] are all woked out.”

With his entry, Shlomi joined at least four more candidates running for the seat in Texas’s 31st district, a position currently held by Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), who has already filed for reelection.

Carter was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 and assumed office in 2003. In a Nov. 9 statement announcing his candidacy, Carter said he has no plans to slow down and pledged to work with the Trump administration.

“Serving the patriotic people of this district has been the honor of my life, and I believe there’s still more work to do alongside President Trump to put more money back in Americans’ pockets, lower costs for hardworking families, and keep improving the quality of life here in Central Texas,” he stated. “Together, we will keep Texas strong and put Americans first.”

Carter cited his achievements on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, which he currently chairs.

“Through my work on the Appropriations Committee, I’ve delivered over $5.2 billion in improvements at Fort Hood, strengthening our national defense and supporting the soldiers and families who call Central Texas home,” he stated.

Other candidates challenging Carter in the GOP primary include business owner Raymond Hamden, David L. Berry, and Ed Ewald, according to state election records.

This story has been updated to include Shlomi’s response.