Justin Kraemer, a former anchor at Wichita NBC affiliate KSNW, hopes to turn a bad experience into a new career–in politics.
Kraemer, who was fired after a newscast in 2013 after an open mic caught him saying “let’s get the f*** outta here,” is now running for a seat in the Kansas Legislature.
“It’s been a long year and half since that whole incident happened and it’s given me a lot of time for personal reflection and trying to figure out the best way to move forward from here as far as what I want to do next,” Kraemer told The Wichita Eagle.
Kraemer, who is running as a Democrat, is using his story as part of his pitch to voters. “I know firsthand it is extremely difficult to find meaningful work in Kansas. Albeit my situation is a little bit different from most, but I still understand the anguish and pain of going through these ads and looking for a job to support your family,” he said.
Last year, Kraemer launched an online fundraising campaign in the hopes of moving to Hollywood, but the effort raised just a few hundred dollars and was canceled.