In a survey put out by left-leaning Public Policy Polling, respondents were asked if they would vote for singer Bruce Springsteen or current New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the 2013 election. And the results suggest a certain someone could be born to run.
Let us first clarify: Bruce Springsteen is not currently a Democratic candidate for governor. Second, let’s review why the match-up isn’t quite so absurd as may first appear. Springsteen is proudly from New Jersey and has been politically active over the years. He supported Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election and Obama in the 2008 election. He has spoken out in favor of gay marriage in his state, opposite Christie’s typically Republican position, and recently wrote an implicitly anti-Christie letter to his hometown newspaper, bewailing how current policies are “eating away at the lower edges of the middle class.”
(MORE: Republicans and Rock Don’t Mix)
So when one finds out that Springsteen and Christie split the hypothetical vote right down the middle (42% to 42% with the rest undecided), the takeaway shouldn’t just be that New Jersey voters are particularly weak for that raspy voice—however cool it might be to imagine the singer wailing “Born in the U.S.A.” at his own inauguration. And it shouldn’t just be dismissed as the inevitable result of pitting a politician who looks like a normal human being against an epic superstar who could melt Medusa’s heart.
Who knows? Nothing universally prohibits Springsteen from jumping in the race. Goodness knows kookier things (cough, Governator, cough) have happened in American state politics.
(THROWBACK: Read TIME’s 1975 cover story on The Boss)
Katy Steinmetz is a reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @KatySteinmetz. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.