When WWE Hall of Famer Booker T (Booker Huffman) announced in 2016 that he was considering a run for mayor of Houston, Texas, few wrestling fans imagined that another professional wrestling superstar would soon make the leap into elected office. 

In 2017, Glenn Jacobs—better known to wrestling fans as WWE’s “Kane”—announced his candidacy for Knox County Mayor. Unlike Booker T, who ultimately did not run for office, Jacobs entered the 2018 Republican primary and narrowly won the nomination by fewer than two dozen votes. He would go on to win the general election and secure reelection in 2022. 

As Jacobs approaches the end of his second and final term on August 31, 2026, an interesting political question remains: What happened to the libertarian movement within the Republican Party that helped propel his candidacy? 

The Libertarian Candidate Who Ran as a Republican 

From the beginning, Jacobs never concealed his political philosophy. 

In a March 2017 interview with WVLT, Jacobs identified with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and Congressman Thomas Massie. During his campaign announcement, he made clear that his political views were rooted in libertarian principles rather than traditional party politics. 

The Knox Mercury reported in April 2017 that Jacobs described himself as a self-identified libertarian, not a “real” Republican. He cited Ronald Reagan’s libertarian leanings and pointed to figures such as Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, Justin Amash, and former Congressman Jimmy Duncan as examples of libertarian-minded Republicans. 

In an April 2017 interview with the Post and Courier, Jacobs laid out a governing philosophy that would become familiar to Knox County voters. 

“My political philosophy is the ‘smaller the better,’” Jacobs said. “Government should stay out of the way and let free enterprise do what it does best.” 

His campaign focused on fiscal restraint, low taxes, transparency, and limited government—core principles associated with modern American libertarianism. 

The Ron Paul Generation 

One reason Jacobs’ candidacy attracted national attention was the coalition that supported him. 

Among his early supporters was political commentator Jack Hunter, editor of Rare Politics and co-author with Rand Paul of The Tea Party Goes to Washington. Hunter viewed Jacobs as part of a broader movement that emerged from the presidential campaigns of former Congressman Ron Paul. 

That movement produced several prominent Republicans who advocated for smaller government, civil liberties, free markets, and a less interventionist foreign policy. 

Among the most recognizable figures were: 

• Rand Paul 

• Mike Lee 

• Thomas Massie 

• Justin Amash 

• Mark Sanford 

• Mick Mulvaney 

In 2017, many observers believed this faction represented a growing force inside the Republican Party. 

A Different Republican Party in 2026 

Eight years later, the political landscape looks considerably different. 

Some members of the libertarian-oriented coalition remain influential. Rand Paul continues to serve in the Senate and remains one of the party’s most recognizable advocates for limited government and civil liberties. Mike Lee remains in the Senate. Thomas Massie time is coming to an end as he lost the Republican nomination for re-election a few weeks ago.  

Others have faded from the national stage. Justin Amash left the Republican Party, later becoming a Libertarian. Mark Sanford’s political comeback ended with his 2018 primary defeat. Mick Mulvaney left government service and transitioned into media and consulting. 

At the national level, the Republican Party’s priorities have increasingly focused on issues such as border security, trade policy, cultural debates, and executive power. These priorities do not always align neatly with traditional libertarian positions emphasizing free trade, immigration reform, criminal justice reform, and skepticism of government intervention. 

Jacobs’ Assessment 

Perhaps the best assessment comes from Jacobs himself. 

In a 2025 interview with Nick Gillespie of Reason, Jacobs was asked whether the libertarian impulse inside the Republican Party had diminished. 

The question noted that while figures such as Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, Justin Amash, and Jacobs himself emerged from the “Ron Paul Revolution,” today’s GOP often appears more focused on tariffs, border restrictions, and tougher criminal penalties than on traditional libertarian ideas. 

Jacobs acknowledged that not everyone embraces libertarian principles completely but argued that the movement has nevertheless made a lasting impact. 

“The folks you just mentioned came out of the Ron Paul revolution,” Jacobs said. “All these ideas—not everyone’s going to embrace them 100 percent. But I think that when you look at the much stronger noninterventionist foreign policy, especially those things are there, and they were not there before.” 

His answer suggests that while libertarians may no longer dominate headlines within Republican politics, many of their ideas have been absorbed into broader party debates, particularly regarding foreign policy and skepticism of overseas military intervention. 

The Knox County Legacy 

Whether one agrees with his politics or not, Glenn Jacobs’ election in 2018 represented a unique moment in Knox County history. 

A self-described libertarian won the Republican nomination and then governed Tennessee’s third-largest county for eight years. He demonstrated that a candidate could openly identify with libertarian principles while successfully competing within Republican politics. 

The larger question is whether Jacobs was part of the beginning of a lasting libertarian realignment within the GOP—or whether he represented the high-water mark of a movement whose influence has since been dispersed throughout the party. 

As Mayor Jacobs prepares to leave office, the answer may be that libertarianism inside the Republican Party has neither disappeared nor taken over. Instead, it has evolved into one of several competing factions that continue to shape the future direction of the GOP.