After announcing a fundraiser for recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Green Party candidate Jill Stein raised over $6.5 million dollars. While this covers both recount costs and legal fees pertaining to the recounts, Stein has announced that all leftover funds will go toward funding her band’s EP.
Since Stein does not plan to pursue a political career outside her symbolic quadrennial bid for the presidency, she decided that any overage will be used to refocus her efforts on what’s most important: her music.
“Before I got into politics, I was a folk rock artist advocating for change through song,” Stein says. “I love campaigning, but there’s really nothing like returning to my roots and going back to the studio.”
Those close to Stein say that she’s repeatedly yearned for “gigs” where it’s just “you, the reefer, and the road.”
Stein’s children have reportedly encouraged her to get back into medicine if she chooses to leave politics, but Stein disagrees.
“Every time they try to talk to her, Jill just shakes her tambourine in disagreement and retreats back to her in-home studio,” says one family friend. “Which is just the guest bathroom at the moment.”
“My in-home studio is really the place where I can think and dream,” Stein says. “There are a lot of seashells in there.”
Stein is excited to expand upon her current studio setup and will spare no expense in getting “the sound” she wants.
“I’ll probably go on a retreat for a bit, just to work on my music,” Stein says about her post-recount plans. “I think of a song title a minute, I swear. I actually just thought of one right now—‘The Dream Vaccine.’ Damn, that’s good.”
Members of Stein’s staff say they’re surprised she’s leaving politics, but aren’t disappointed.
“I know it seems weird, but this is probably the best use of funds,” says one former staffer: “She’s actually a better musician than she ever was at politics.”
