Ahead of Her Championship Bout, Ronda Rousey Endorses Bernie Sanders

   
| November 14, 2015 4:44 pm | 2 comments

UPDATE: Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey to win the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 193.

Ronda Rousey is obviously not afraid of speaking her mind. From her belief that women don’t need others to take care of them to sex, Rousey seems to speak authentically off the cuff. Some love her, others dislike her, but I find her authenticity refreshing. The  (former)UFC bantamweight champ, who defended her belt tonight against the undefeated Holly Holm, has been very vocal about her support for marijuana legalization, decrying the 5 year suspension for marijuana use levied against fighter Nick Diaz. Recently, she spoke out about her support for Bernie Sanders, the candidate with the best cannabis policy platform. The judo master has also made it clear that she isn’t a fan of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

Maxim got the scoop on Rousey’s presidential endorsement:

“I’m voting for Bernie Sanders, because he doesn’t take any corporate money,” Rousey told Maxim. “I don’t think politicians should be allowed to take money for their campaigns from outside interests.”

As for what she’d do if her man were to lose the primary, Rousey said, “If he doesn’t win against Hillary, then I’ll probably vote for a third party again. To be honest, in 2012 I was against both candidates and so I just picked any third party because I thought if more people voted for third parties then they’d have to take third parties seriously.”

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Rousey’s love for non-mainstream candidates does not include Donald Trump. The billionaire real estate mogul seemed to suggest to CNN last summer that Rousey was a supporter. Pointing out that she exemplified the athleticism of female fighters, he claimed she was a fan of his. “Some of them are really, really good,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, I know some woman that are just — Ronda Rousey is an example, who likes me.…I’d take her on my side as a fighter.”

TMZ reached out to Bernie’s campaign team for thoughts on the endorsement and spokesperson Michael Briggs stated, “We think it’s great and appreciate the support.”

One of Bernie Sanders’ greatest political strengths is that he is an authentic person that isn’t afraid to speak his mind, politics be damned. It isn’t surprising that Ronda Rousey would relate to that authenticity. The distrust that Rousey has for the two-party system is very common in today’s political world. More and more people, especially young people, have broken from the Republican and Democratic parties. A lot of the enthusiasm for Sanders comes from this untapped well of unaffiliated voters. Primary Democratic voters would be wise to consider this potential resource when they fell out their ballots.

Anthony, a longtime cannabis law reform advocate, was Chief Petitioner and co-author of Measure 91, Oregon's cannabis legalization effort. He served as director of both the New Approach Oregon and Vote Yes on 91 PACs, the political action committees responsible for the state's legalization campaign. As director of New Approach Oregon, Anthony continues to work towards effectively implementing the cannabis legalization system while protecting small business owners and the rights of patients. He sits on the Oregon Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee and fights for sensible rules at the legislature as well as city councils and county commissions across the state. Anthony helps cannabis business comply with Oregon's laws and advises advocates across the country. He also serves as content director of both the International Cannabis Business Conference and the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, helping share the vision of moving the cannabis industry forward in a way that maintains the focus on keeping people out of prison and protecting patients. He was a member of the Oregon Health Authority Rules Advisory Committee, assisting the drafting of the administrative rules governing Oregon’s state-licensed medical marijuana facilities. He first co-authored and helped pass successful marijuana law reform measures while a law student at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He passed the Oregon Bar in 2005 and practiced criminal defense for two years before transitioning to working full-time in the political advocacy realm. His blogs on Marijuana Politics are personal in nature and don't speak for or reflect the opinions of any group or organization.