Kelly Slater will be running for the 2016 US Presidential election, as one of the Republican candidates. The Floridian surfing champion decided the time had come to fulfill one of his oldest dreams and took the final step after securing the 11th world title.
"I've never enjoyed politics, but I've always wanted to do good things for my country and for my fellow Americans. Politics can be good if you've got energy to change things for good and I feel the time has come", Kelly Slater told SurferToday.com
Kelly Slater will be surfing his last professional waves of his career in 2012. He wants to close an important chapter in his life so that his full commitment with his 2016 presidential campaign may go ahead.
"Both the Republican and Democratic parties have been trying to get me into the presidential race for quite a long. To be honest, I always said 'no' to suits and ties, but I think some things change with age. Our opinions change, too", adds Slater, the future US Presidential candidate.
"In 2010, I told Surfing Magazine that I considered myself an Independent, but also that I sound like a conservative Republican, at times. In the last 16 months, my friends, girlfriend and family gave me full support, so I guess there's no distance left to run. I want to be the 45th President of the United States of America".
Kelly Slater plans to leave the ASP World Tour in the end of 2012, after the Triple Crown of Surfing, to concentrate on the primary elections and future official nomination. Meanwhile, he'll be seen in the golf greens gathering support for his cause.
"He's definitely one of the strongest candidates in the Republican line-up for 2016. Kelly Slater is probably the most perfect fresh new face in American politics, since Barack Obama. I think he has strong chances of being elected", says a former Florida Republican senator.
Kelly Slater is the first professional sportsman running for the US Presidency. The entire surfing community is looking forward to see Slater making waves in the international political scene. In 2016, he might moving to the White House.