Federal Elections Committee (FEC) records show that West Virginia-based writer Kenton Tilford filed the paperwork for “Run the Rock 2020” on Johnson’s behalf. The connection between Tilford and the "Fast and the Furious" star, if any, is unclear, according to Huffington Post.
Tilford has posted before on his now-private Twitter account about Johnson running for the White House, but has not commented publicly on his motivations. It also isn’t clear whether Johnson was previously aware that the committee exists.
While hosting Saturday Night Live in May, Johnson portrayed a musclebound Barack Obama, and has been photographed standing behind a podium that read "'The Rock Johnson' 2020." He has joked about running for president in the past, and the registered Independent told GQ in a May interview that running for the commander-in-chief post is "a real possibility."
"Personally, I feel that if I were president, poise would be important," he told GQ’s Caity Weaver. "Leadership would be important. Taking responsibility for everybody."
The 8-time World Wrestling Entertainment Champion spoke at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 2000, and when the Washington Post suggested Johnson could have a shot at the presidency in a June 2016 article, he responded on Instagram that "the most important thing right now is strong honest leadership from our current and future leaders of this country."
After attending the University of Miami and playing professional football in Canada, the half-Samoan, half-African-American entertainer debuted in 1996 on a World Wrestling Federation program called "Survivor Series" under the ring name Rocky Maivia, a nod to his father "Soul Man" Rocky Johnson and maternal grandfather the "High Chief" Peter Maivia, both highly respected figures in the wrestling industry.
