A former Bravo television star is trading boozy Hamptons blowouts for politics \u2014 launching an unlikely bid to unseat a sitting Republican in Congress in rural Minnesota.<\/p>\n
Luke Gulbranson<\/a> \u2014 a model-turned-actor known for his role on \u201cSummer House\u201d<\/a> \u2014 said he\u2019s done with showbiz and has moved back home to Minnesota\u2019s Iron Range to run for the state\u2019s 8th congressional district, representing the rural northeast region.<\/p>\n Now a youth hockey coach, the reality TV alum is blasting rising prices and foreign policy chaos \u2014 including the Iran war<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gulbranson was cast on \u201cSummer House\u201d after moving to New York City as a teenager. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re spending billions of dollars a day right now in Iran when people in our own country can\u2019t take care of themselves,\u201d Gulbranson told the California Post in an interview.<\/p>\n \u201cInflation\u2019s at 3.3% right now. It\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Gulbranson, an Eveleth native, said he grew up on welfare and \u201cpowdered milk\u201d and was hit with culture shock after relocating to New York City and the Hamptons, where money seemed to be no object.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have support\u2026 I was chasing a dream,\u201d Gulbranson told The Post, recalling his leap from a tiny town of just 3,000 to the glitzy world of modeling. <\/p>\n He first landed in New York, then China, alone at just 19.<\/p>\n Gulbranson grew up in small-town Eveleth, playing competitive hockey. lukegulbranson\/Instagram<\/p>\n Gulbranson was then cast in Bravo\u2019s \u201cSummer House,\u201d which chronicles hard-partying New Yorkers\u2019 booze-soaked escapades and hookup drama in a weekend home in the Hamptons. He also landed acting jobs, appearing on HBO Max\u2019s comedy-drama series \u201cThe Flight Attendant.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIt was the complete opposite of what I knew,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gulbranson said he grew disillusioned by the wealthy excesses in New York City. Getty Images for Supermodels Unlimited<\/p>\n The low-key Gulbranson had a \u201cSummer House\u201d rep as nature-loving and artsy, but was caught up in a \u201clove triangle\u201d with co-stars Ciara Miller<\/a> and Hannah Berner<\/a> on Season 5 of the Bravo series, Page Six previously reported.<\/a> He left the show and launched a beer line, Happy Dog Lager<\/a> \u2014 later decrying the \u201cfake drama\u201d stoked by reality TV producers.<\/p>\n \u201cMy roots are deep in the red dirt here, and I\u2019m proud of where I\u2019m from,\u201d Gulbranson said, adding that Minnesotans are \u201chardworking people that are some of the nicest, most kind people you\u2019d ever meet, and I would get a little pissed off when I saw \u2026 the top 1% getting tax breaks, for instance.<\/p>\n \u201cSummer House\u201d chronicled New Yorkers\u2019 hard-partying Hamptons antics. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Gulbranson launched a beer line after leaving reality TV. lukegulbranson\/instagram<\/p>\n \u201cIt really lit off something inside of me.\u201d<\/p>\n Gulbranson is hoping to unseat the Republican incumbent, Rep. Pete Stauber, whom he slammed as ineffective and disengaged with rural voters\u2019 struggles with health care accessibility and the cost of living.<\/p>\n Other Democrats running in the primary include Emmanuel Anastos, Wendell Smith and Trina Swanson. <\/p>\n Asked how his reality TV background could affect his aspiring political career, Gulbranson said he was grateful for the friendships he made in showbiz. <\/p>\n \u201cYou know, we have to raise money and I think there will be some creative and interesting ways we can fundraise and help the campaign. <\/p>\n \u201cBut one of the things it did show me is I\u2019ve always been this kid from Northern Minnesota. I love my family and friends and our way of life here,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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