Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is not exactly “Celebrity Apprentice” — just because you appear on their ice cream containers doesn’t guarantee you a successful political career. But having the beloved ice cream makers give you your own flavor never hurt anybody politically. Ben & Jerry’s launched “Bernie’s Yearning” in 2016 to honor fellow Vermont icon Senator Bernie Sanders as he ran for president. And though it may have been a case of correlation rather than causation, Sanders’ candidacy boomed after he got scooped up by Ben & Jerry’s.
Now Phish drummer John Fishman — he’s where the name Phish comes from — is running for office in Maine. He’s heeding the example and call of Sanders, according to the Maine Free Press, who quote Fishman quoting Sanders: “you should run for your local offices, your school boards, your select boards and committees.” And so Fishman, 52, will run for a seat on the Board of Selectmen in Lincolnville, Maine this summer. And he’s already got a cold scoop on his competitors for the seat. Ben & Jerry’s introduced Phish Food in 1997 — 20 years ago. Even then it had a political purpose: Phish Food was created to help protect Lake Champlain in Vermont, with a portion of the royalities going toward that effort.
