'Duck Dynasty' star eyed for congressional run

Reality TV star Willie Robertson of "Duck Dynasty" is being talked up by Republicans as a potential congressional candidate in Louisiana.

Willie Robertson of the reality television show "Duck Dynasty" speaks in June.

Willie Robertson of the reality television show "Duck Dynasty" speaks in June.

As eager "Duck Dynasty” fans await Wednesday's Season 4 premiere of one of cable's top-rated programs, one of the show's biggest stars is being courted for a very different kind of reality show — politics.

The Washington Examiner reports that Willie Robertson, CEO of the West Monroe, La.-based companies Duck Commander and Buck Commander, which specialize in game calls and hunting supplies, is being talked up by Republican operatives as a potential congressional candidate.

The 41-year-old Robertson, known on the A&E show for his pranks and homespun bon mots such as, "When in doubt, figure it out. ... That's the redneck way,” is being targeted for the Louisiana 5th District seat currently held by Republican Rodney Alexander, who will leave his post in September for a position in Gov. Bobby Jindal's cabinet.

Robertson's conservative, family-oriented values — each episode of the show ends with the family saying grace at the dinner table — align perfectly with Republican talking points, and his overwhelming popularity makes him, on the surface at least, to be a clear favorite in any race.

He spent the summer touring on the Christian lecture circuit alongside fellow conservatives such as Sarah Palin and Tim Tebow.

"My boys want to run Willie Robertson for the seat," an unidentified, outside adviser to GOP leadership told the Examiner.

But there may be little incentive for Robertson to give up his spot on the show.

He's estimated to be worth $25 million and the cast recently received raises that reportedly pay them around $200,000 per episode.

"It's probably the opposite of most reality shows,” Robertson told People in July. "And nobody gets a big head because we're doing it all together.”

If Robertson does decide to throw his duck call in the race, he'd be the latest in a long line of celebrities who've explored the political world, including Sonny Bono, Shirley Temple, Fred Grandy, Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.