PAC to back bearded political candidates

WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- Talk about a potentially hairy situation. The U.S. election watchdog has received paperwork from a political action committee that supports bearded candidates.

The Federal Elections Committee received documents Wednesday from the non-partisan Bearded Entrepreneurs for the Advancement of a Responsible Democracy -- or BEARD -- founded by Jonathan Sessions, 30, a member of the Columbia, Mo., school board, The Hill reported Thursday.

"With the resurgence of beards in popular culture and among today's younger generation, we believe the time is now to bring facial hair back into politics," Sessions said in a statement posted on the PAC's Facebook page.

Sessions said there hasn't been a bearded major-party presidential candidate since Republican Charles Evans Hughes' unsuccessful bid in 1916 and noted the retirements of bearded congressmen, including David Obey of Wisconsin and Steve LaTourette of Ohio.

"Our hope is that we can start to reverse this disturbing trend," he said.

"It's been 125 years since our last bearded president, Benjamin Harrison, was elected," BEARD PAC Communications Director Andy Shapero said. "We're hoping that, with our support, bearded individuals will shrug off over a century of political irrelevance and start running for office again."