James Holzhauer has announced that he is all on Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election in an unexpected and rare break from Jeopardy! culture.
The Las Vegas resident, who is a professional sports gambler, WWE fan, and one of Jeopardy!‘s most famous contestants, took to X on Tuesday, October 29. Instead of his usual preference for sharing a jokey meme or insulting Ken Jennings or a show rival, he decided to announce his endorsement for the Democratic nominee. This is the first candidate Holzhauer has publicly backed since his famed 32-day winning streak in 2019.
Still, he couldn’t resist a little self-deprecating humor in his post. “Your favorite Jeopardy champ wants you to vote for Kamala Harris,” Holzhauer wrote. “I also want you to vote for Kamala Harris. Do it for both of us.”
Your favorite Jeopardy champ wants you to vote for Kamala HarrisI also want you to vote for Kamala HarrisDo it for both of us— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) October 29, 2024
The post scored 16,000 likes within the first hour, with his fans flooding the comments section shocked by the urgency and political statement from a contestant who struck mega-fame on a notably apolitical quiz show.
“This will be my first election. I became a citizen a little over a year ago. Having my first vote go to the first woman president is surreal! #HarrisWalz2024,” the top comment read.
“Thanks for sharing, but I’m going to vote for Kamala for my kids,” was another.
“I’m honestly shocked to hear this out of you,” penned a third, appearing to be Donald Trump supporter.
“Alex Trebek would have voted for Kamala,” claimed a fourth.
The endorsement was rare because Jeopardy! largely stays clear of politics. During its 60-year history, it’s become known as a non-partisan 30-minute safe haven of television (barring an errant George Santos quip from Jennings). None of the clues ever involve current politics, and none of the on-stage interviews get political either.
Its most famous contestants nor hosts generally endorse candidates, although 40-time winner Amy Schneider is known to be outspoken and visited the White House during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Late host Alex Trebek led this nonpartisan stance. He never publicly endorsed candidates, and largely is credited for creating the environment that Jeopardy! is today, despite sharing in his memoir that he received endless fan mail from Republicans thinking he’s a Democrat and vice versa.
“I vote for the person I feel is best suited to deal with the problems at the time. Modern politics pits us against one another,” he wrote. “It forces us to choose a side and has convinced us that our side is right and the other side is wrong. There is no room for compromise. That’s unfortunate. Because most of the great accomplishments of the world have not been made by people who were certain.”
Meanwhile, Holzhauer struck mega-fame for his high-rolling style during his 2019 run, amassing all 10 of the top single-day earnings in show history, regularly surpassing $100,000 nightly with gigantic Daily Doubles wagers and aggressive “Forest Bounce”-style play.
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He boasts the second-highest regular play earnings in history with $2.4 million, just shy of now-host Jennings $2.5 million (though Holzhauer did so in half as many games).
He went on to win the 2019 Tournament of Champions, competed in the 2020 G.O.A.T tournament and win the inagural Jeopardy Masters special on ABC primetime in 2023. The 40-year-old was unable to repeat his success in Masters 2024, losing to fellow Chaser Victoria Groce.
Holzhauer donated $100,000 of his $500,000 Masters purse to Project 150, which provides school supplies for underserved youth in the greater Las Vegas area, a cause near and dear to the Michigan native and his wife.
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