Hill Harper leaving ‘The Good Doctor’ as he runs for Senate

This post was originally published on this site

(The Hill) — Hill Harper is reportedly exiting “The Good Doctor” amid the actor’s bid for a Michigan Senate seat.

The performer, who plays Dr. Marcus Andrews on the ABC drama, won’t be appearing on the show’s upcoming seventh season, according to TVLine, which was first to report the news.

Harper “feels strongly that there is a crisis in American democracy — too often, government only works for the rich and powerful while the rest of us struggle to find a voice,” his campaign spokesperson told the outlet on Monday.

“Hill is dedicating his efforts full time to fixing that, and he’s running for the U.S. Senate as an active union member to give working people more of a voice in Congress,” the spokesperson said.

Harper’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by ITK.

The 57-year-old “CSI-NY” alum announced in July that he was entering the race for Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D) seat. Stabenow announced earlier this year that she wouldn’t run for reelection in 2024.

The political newcomer faces a Democratic primary bid against Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.).

Harper told The Detroit News when announcing his Senate run that he’s a member of the Screen Actors Guild and owns a Detroit coffee shop, which would make him the “only U.S. senator who is a current dues-paying, card-carrying union member” and “one of the very few small business owners in the U.S. Senate” if elected.