When Jon Runyan announced his intention to run as a Republican for a seat in the House of Representatives, he was pegged as a longshot. After all, Runyan, 37, was a political novice who had made his name as a 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive tackle in the NFL for 14 years, nine of them with the Philadelphia Eagles. But Runyan—who grew up in Flint, Michigan, the son of an auto worker—rode the conservative tide into Congress, upsetting Democrat John Adler by more than 5,000 votes. New Jersey Monthly caught up with the Mount Laurel resident just before he left for freshman orientation in Washington, D.C.
As a former athlete, did you worry that people weren’t going to take you seriously in a bid for Congress?
Part of this process was overcoming those stereotypes, and that was a huge obstacle. I still have to go out every day and prove myself and prove that I can do it, and it’s unfortunate that it has to be like that, because the people inside sports who know that world know that there’s a lot of very intelligent people out there on the football field.
What surprised you most during the race?
You hear all the horror stories. I think I was very fortunate, coming from the professional sports arena, that I had dealt with the negative aspects that typically people running for office, especially at the federal level, haven’t dealt with before…It wasn’t new to me. It wasn’t new to my family. That’s really one of the biggest things, your family’s ability to deal with what you’re going through.
In your victory speech you said, “I think politicians in D.C. are going to learn a few things about me very quickly.” What are some of those things?
One of the biggest things is just being brutally honest with people and telling them how you feel. I think people respect that and appreciate that. Ultimately it is about being who you are and showing consistency. People may or may not agree with you, but they know where you’re coming from.
What will be some of the greatest challenges during your first year in office?
There’s a huge number of freshmen this year [in Congress], people who have never held elected office before, and that learning curve will be a big one…But if that is the downside, look at the upside. You have a lot of people that haven’t been a part of the political process, and they have all different types of ideas.
What are your plans for improving the situation in New Jersey?
Obviously the tax burden is too high here in the Garden State, just because of the fact that we have the highest property taxes in the country. But ultimately, your biggest thing is that you’re here to work for the people back home…People have problems, and you’re here to solve them and work on them.
During the campaign you said you would serve for no more than four terms. Do you still stick to that?
Yes I do. I think you have to keep it fresh … I really think that’s what our forefathers intended. They wrote the Constitution of this country. They had their businesses. They had to go back home and put the roof on their houses and work their farms. It wasn’t a career, it was community service.
In what ways did this campaign change you?
Public speaking. Early on I was basically trying not to read speeches, but it’s basically what I was doing. Now, with the exception of a few points to keep me on track up there, 90 percent of the time I get up and talk to the people off the top of my head.
Between the NFL and American politics, which is more grueling?
I think they’re pretty much the same. However, when you get home and lay down in bed at night, that’s where the difference is. When you left the football field and laid down in bed you laid there for an hour and a half trying to fall asleep because you were in so much pain. Now you just lay down and pass out.