Would you buy a congressional campaign from this guy?
Many voters better know MAGA congressional candidate Offer Vince Shlomi as the ‘Shamwow Guy.’ Credit: Courtesy Photo / Vince Offer

The Republican primary in Texas’ 31st District took an odd turn this week as the once-ubiquitous pitchman from the Shamwow infomercials dropped off his namesake cleanup rags on voters’ doorsteps, according to the Quorum Report.

The “Shamwow Guy” — whose real name is Offer Vince Shlomi — announced his candidacy in November for the House seat currently held by 84-year-old Republican U.S. Rep. John Carter.

The Israeli-born infomercial pitchman is running on a MAGA-style platform, promising to “soak up the swamp” if elected to Congress and railing against “wokeism.” However, he doesn’t appear to have gained much momentum beyond some news coverage based his past TV exploits. His campaign doesn’t even have a website, for example.

Just the same, Shlomi appears to be taking a grassroots approach by leaving Shamowow rags on doorsteps around Georgetown, as noted by Scott Braddock, the veteran Texas political reporter behind Quorum Report.

Shlomi faces a crowded field in the Republican primary for the district north of Austin. Ten other candidates have filed to run. That list includes far-right firebrand Valentina Gomez Noriega, whose controversial campaign tactics have included burning a Quran with a flamethrower.

Election Day for the statewide primaries is March 3.


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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...