Krentcil went viral in 2012 after she was arrested for taking her then-5-year-old daughter to a tanning salon
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"Tan Mom" Patricia Krentcil, a 55-year-old media sensation from New Jersey, is running for the U.S. Senate in Florida, Fox News Digital can confirm.
Krentcil, a former Nutley resident who now lives in Boca Raton, said on Tuesday that she officially filed to run for the Senate. She first garnered fame during a viral arrest in 2012, when she took her then-5-year-old daughter to a tanning salon. She also starred in her own extreme makeover television show, "Tan to 10."
"I know that I am different. And I have suffered for it. But us all being different is what makes this country so amazing and unique," Krentcil said of her decision.
According to a statement of candidacy filed with the Federal Election Commission, Krentcil intends to challenge Florida incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in the 2024 election. She will run as a Republican.
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Patricia "Tan Mom" Krentcil, previously a resident of Ntley, New Jersey, now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. (Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Krentcil said, "The thing with my campaign is that you know everything about me from the start. There’s no skeletons or hidden secrets or shocking dirt to be revealed. What you see is what you get because my life has been documented. I think more media personalities should get involved in politics for this reason."
She also said her campaign platform would include LGBTQ+ equality and diversity in the classrooms – issues unusual for a Republican campaign, although both have become hot topics in Florida.
"My platform is pro LGBTQ+; I would vote for RuPaul for President. Let’s mix it up with representation," she continued. "I’ve walked through the fire to get to where I am at, which is a strong, independent woman who wants positive change in this country and world," she added. "Am I the most well spoken, brilliant politician that ever lived? No. But I am a mom of five, with two kids in high school currently, boots on the ground in Florida, dealing with medical issues. I get it. I get what these people are going through. And it’s not good. We need to change it. Banning Shakespeare, teaching slavery was beneficial? This is the priority when thousands of people can’t pay their home insurance premiums or medical bills!? Nobody should be made to feel inferior for how they look, or who they are as a person. I know this from personal experience."
Krentcil calls herself the tannest woman in the world and identified as a tanning addict before she sought the help of a plastic surgeon and others documented in the seven-episode TV docuseries "Tan to 10."
"I changed my whole attitude on life. I’ve turned my life around," Krentcil said. "I don’t get disrespected anymore. I don’t party or do any crazy things."
‘TAN MOM’ PATRICIA KRENTCIL SAYS SHE STILL TANS TWICE A WEEK AFTER TABLOID FAME
She said her Senate campaign managers would be the producers of the show, Gregg Maliff and Adam Barta.
Krentcil sought the help of a plastic surgeon and others for her tanning addiction in the seven-episode TV docuseries "Tan to 10." (Charles Norfleet/Getty Images)
The "Tan Mom" added that during the show’s run, she formed relationships in the community and wanted to leverage her support to win the competitive statewide race.
Krentcil, a single mother of five, was charged with child endangerment in 2012 after she allegedly exposed her young daughter to artificial UV rays at a salon, leaving the girl with burns.
According to NJ.com, state law prohibits children under 14 from entering a tanning booth.
Patricia Krentcil previously lived in Nutley, New Jersey. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
She pleaded not guilty to the offense, and a grand jury decided not to indict her the following year.
She was banned from several New Jersey salons and then moved to Florida.
The Republican primary currently includes Scott and former U.S. Army National Guardsman Keith Gross.
Sen. Rick Scott narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson by a mere 10,000 votes in 2018. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Florida’s U.S. Senate race was highly competitive in 2018, with Scott narrowly defeating Democratic nominee Bill Nelson, who had represented Florida in the U.S. Senate since 2001, by a mere 10,000 votes. More than 8.1 million votes were cast.
President Biden nominated Nelson to serve as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and he was confirmed in 2021.
The U.S. Senate general election in Florida will take place on Nov. 5, 2024.
