Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey has waded into the conversation surrounding Maine’s upcoming Senate election after rumors swirled of his possible involvement.
The 60-year-old actor, who was born and raised outside Lewiston, Maine, wrote an essay for the Portland Press Herald in which he answered a question he says has been asked of him more than once: would he ever run for Senate?
Dempsey, who is best known for playing Dr. Derek Shepherd in the hit ABC medical drama and for starring in films like Enchanted and Bridget Jones’s Baby, as well as being crowned People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2023, has no political experience to speak of.
Despite that, after Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner was accused of sexual assault on Monday, Dempsey’s name was floated as a potential replacement in the upcoming election face-off against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Evidently, the chatter became loud enough that Dempsey felt compelled to respond, calling the suggestion that he could ever run for political office “flattering” and that he doesn’t take it lightly.
“I love my home state of Maine. I care deeply about the people who live there and, like so many Americans, I’m concerned about the direction our country is heading,” he wrote, adding that he gave it “real thought.”
“Not because I was looking for a new career, but because I asked myself an honest question: Could I make a meaningful difference? That question led me to another one I think matters even more: What kind of leadership are we really looking for?”
Dempsey continued by describing his own ideal candidate, writing, “I want someone who leads with empathy. Someone who listens before speaking, who has the courage to work with people they disagree with and who understands that public office isn’t about power. It’s about service.”
“Most of all, I want integrity. That may sound idealistic today, but it shouldn’t.”
He also detailed some of the more pressing issues facing Maine residents today, including the disappearance of industries across the state, leaving devastated communities in their wake, as well as the rising cost of living and lack of affordable healthcare.
In discussing the cost of healthcare, the actor touched on his work with the Dempsey Center, which he established in 2008 in response to his mother’s experience with ovarian cancer and which provides support and care to people with cancer and their loved ones across Maine.
Dempsey also spoke candidly about his experience with dyslexia and the importance of quality education, arguing, “We need to keep improving how we educate young people, because every child deserves the opportunity to succeed in the way they learn best.”
“As I reflected on all of this,” Dempsey wrote, “I kept coming back to one question: Do I truly want to serve in Congress?”
“After a lot of thought, I realized the answer is no,” he admitted. “Not because public service isn’t honorable — it absolutely is. But because I believe I can contribute more effectively through the life I’ve already built.”
Returning to his work with the Dempsey Center, the star wrote that it has “shown me what’s possible when people put aside differences and focus on helping one another.”
“No one asks who you voted for before offering support. That’s the America I know. That’s what I want to see in the leader we send to the Senate.”
He ended his essay with an appeal to innate human goodness, which he believes still exists, but that it is “being drowned out by the loudest voices.”
“Whether you’re an elected official, a teacher, a nurse, a business owner, a parent or a volunteer, service begins with one simple question: How can I make someone else’s life a little better?”
Dempsey urged those who do choose to run for office to lead with humility, tell the truth, put people before party, and remember that public office is a privilege.
“Remember that public office is a privilege not a career path and that leadership isn’t measured by how loudly you speak or how often you’re on television,” he wrote. “It’s measured by whether people’s lives are better because you served.”
“That’s the kind of leadership Maine deserves. It’s the kind of leadership America deserves, too.”
