The Christmas Tree Farmer

There are a few options for spending that spare 10 million or so that is burning a hole in your pocket:

1. You could thrill to a few moments of weightlessness on Bezos’ space ship.

2. You could purchase a remote island and avoid COVID.

3. You could run for the US Senate from Pennsylvania regardless of where you actually live.

The latest millionaire to choose Option 3 is Connecticut’s favorite son, David McCormick, CEO of one of the world’s largest hedge funds. According to his “ holiday-themed” TV commercial, David is “salt-of-the earth guy”. He can relate to “ someone who wears a hard hat or who sits in a boardroom”. David’s income last year topped $50 million. I’m sure he can “relate to” the average construction worker sitting, not in a boardroom sipping single malt Scotch, but in corner bar downing a shot of Old Crow with a Yuengling chaser.

Actually, David (literally) has roots in the Keystone State. He owns a Christmas tree farm near Bloomsburg.

David is descended from Republican nobility. His Dad was Chancellor of the PA University System under GOP Governor Dick Thornburgh. David himself served as Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs under G.W. Bush. Is that a cool job title, or what? “International Affairs” like that between Donald and Melania require lots of Treasury oversight.

David’s wife is even better connected. Dina Powell is a former Republican National Committee member with a stint in the G.W. Bush administration and, best of all, a Deputy National Security Advisor to, you guessed it, Donald Trump. Unfortunately, to be a Full National Security Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief you need to have years of military or CIA experience. Or you need to be his daughter.

The Pennsylvania Republican Party’s Executive Committee will hold closed door “candidate interviews” on Jan 15 followed by an official endorsement on Feb 5. It is reassuring that this is such an open, transparent, public process.

Abraham Lincoln was billed as “the rail splitter” in his campaigns. “He works hard just like you do.” Will David McCormick be billed as “The Christmas Tree Farmer”, “a man with dirt under his (carefully manicured) nails just like you.” Time (and David’s millions) will tell.