Kid Rock
For branding sake in the rock world, the name "Kid Rock" works just fine.
But if he decides to jump into the race for U.S. Senate, the ballot will likely read Robert Ritchie, legal experts tell Melissa Nann Burke of The Detroit News.
Michigan law says that a candidate may not use a nickname on the ballot that isn’t recognized as a short version of a legal name.
“If you’re Robert, you can go by Bob or Bobby or Robbie, or something like that. He can go by Robert Ritchie. But I don’t see any way he goes by Kid Rock, barring a name change,” says Eric Doster, an Okemos attorney who is general counsel for the Michigan Republican Party.
Ultimately, it may not matter.
“People will come to know his real name. I don’t know if it’s that much of an issue,” Doster says. “Like Eminem. He’s a Michigan guy, and everyone knows his name is ... Mathers.”
Ritchie, a Republican, has yet to decide if he'll enter the 2018 race to challenge Democratis Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
