Allocco Comes Up Short In Congressional Race

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Allocco – Patrick Allocco

In a field of five potential Republican candidates for a seat in the U.S. House Of Representatives for New Jersey’s 11th District, former promoter Patrick Allocco is the latest figure from the music industry whose aspirations at political leadership hit a snag.

Allocco earned 1,735 votes, or about 4.1 percent of the vote, with 99 percent reporting at press time. The Republican nomination was earned by State Assemblyman Jay Webber, who got 16,783 votes, or about 39.9 percent of the total votes, according to the New York Times. The Democratic nominee in the district was Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot.

Running on a platform promising that he would use fan-engagement technology to always vote the will of the people, the former chairman and CEO of AllGood Entertainment, tried to use his experience in getting large numbers to turn out for concerts to get large numbers to the polls.

Allocco also has a history in politics, having worked for Ronald Reagan, Todd Cain and Jack Kemp.

Allocco said in a previous interview with Pollstar that he feels that a lot of the skills of concert promotion overlap with running a political campaign.

“One thing that I tell everyone, and no one really sees it, one of the reasons I got into the concert business is because I’ve run a lot of political campaigns in the past,” he said. “We’re hoping politically that I translate the same [skill] of filling seats. As a candidate, you are hoping you are as popular as the act you might be promoting.”

This loss comes on the heels of another music industry figure, Middle West Management co-founder and longtime Bon Iver manager Kyle Frenette’s withdrawal from his Congressional run in Wisconsin.

“I didn’t get into this race because I wanted to be a politician but because I wanted to be a representative. I wanted to represent the people of the 7th district; to give back to this amazing place that’s given me so much,” a statement from Frenette read. “Unfortunately, it is not my time. It is with a heavy heart I must withdraw my candidacy for Congress. Due to unforeseen circumstances in my life, I will not be able to continue giving this campaign and the people of the 7th district the time and attention they deserve.”

Another candidate from the music industry who made a splash but ultimately lost was musician Rob Quist of the Mission Mountain Wood band, who ran for congress in a special election in 2017.