SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Glenn Jacobs, famous for his portrayal of the character “Kane” in World Wrestling Entertainment, is a former world heavyweight wrestling champion and 2021 Hall of Famer. Standing at a towering seven feet tall, Jacobs is now a revered champion for conservatives worldwide.

In 2018, the self-proclaimed Libertarian successfully ran for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee as a Republican. Jacobs’ fiscally conservative stance helped him secure another victory over Debbie Helsley in the 2022 election. His final term will conclude on Sept. 2, 2026.

Jacobs is a graduate of Bowling Green High School, just north of St. Louis, and is an alumnus of Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. During a visit to Springfield for Missouri Comic Con last weekend, The Heartlander caught up with Jacobs to discuss his next steps and whether he has any intentions of working in Washington, D.C.

Jacobs has a clear understanding of term limits and is regarded as Tennessee’s foremost champion for limited government. He’s previously collaborated with the Tennessee General Assembly to advocate for an Article 5 convention aimed at considering a constitutional amendment to restrict Congress. The mayor hasn’t decided if he will remain in politics after his term ends.

“For me, I got into politics because I’ve had a wonderful life,” Jacobs told The Heartlander. “I’m a product of the American dream and I want to make sure my kids and grandkids also have opportunities like I had. That is what motivates me every day. Really, it’s just determining what I would be good at – where I would best fit and what is best for me and my family, but also where I could best serve.”

The former professional wrestler says he had to establish his credibility while running for office and acknowledges the challenge of escaping his background.

“But I didn’t want to (run from it). I’m proud of what I did in WWE. That would open the door for me. It was a novelty. People were intrigued at the same time. I also had to prove that I had good ideas and that I was smart enough to put them into action. The bar is higher for me, because of that. I say that, but we’ve had some of my friends in professional wrestling who have had great success in other endeavors like John Cena and Dwayne Johnson. 

“Nevertheless, it was my greatest asset, but also potentially my greatest liability. I think now that I’ve been there long enough and things have gone well, people have kind of forgotten about it. My critics are always going to call me ‘the wrestler’ and I’ve gotten ‘hit in the head too many times’, which is fine. But, as far as the average person out there, they judge you by the fruits. “Knox County is a great place, but not because of me. The conservative philosophy works, and that is what we try to do and our results have been pretty good.”

Mayor Jacobs is a strong supporter of lower taxes, limited government spending, the Second Amendment and fostering a business-friendly environment through reduced regulations.

“One of the top three issues facing the country is the level of spending by Congress and the national debt. Unfortunately, I think we are about to experience the real-life impact of carrying a massive debt and government spending way too much money.”

When it comes to education, Jacobs believes the introduction of skilled trades to young students is instrumental for learning and the expansion of American jobs. Jacobs supports the idea of increasing the number of skilled trade academies that offer apprenticeships throughout the country. Furthermore, he prioritizes expanding universal school choice.

Depending on their location, students in Tennessee have access to limited education saving accounts. Jacobs says education opportunities should not be restricted by zip code, as he believes every child possesses a special gift.

“What we’ve done for far too long is pigeonholed kids and said, ‘OK, this is how you are successful, and this is that pathway for you.’ It’s unique to every individual. I think what school choice does is, it allows parents and students to be able to tailor their education to what best fits them. If you look at Iowa, Iowa just adopted universal school choice a couple of years ago. The amazing thing was, twice as many people signed up as the state thought would. It’s less expensive, and it gives parents and students more choice. I find that hard to argue with.”

Recent history has provided evidence of mainstream media and social media companies being influenced by the far left. Despite this, Jacobs argues that regulating these entities may establish a risky precedent for Americans. He says he appreciates Elon Musk for bringing freedom of speech and transparency to his X platform, previously known as Twitter.

“The fact that Tucker Carlson can go to Russia and interview Vladimir Putin, you would never see if the mainstream media had their way. That happened, that’s out there and Tucker has the ability to do that and I think it is amazing. As conservatives, we really need to look at creating our own media. President Trump has kind of done that with Truth Social. 

“As opposed to trying to regulate these companies, we all have to remember, if you give the government the power to do something, you’re not going to be in control forever. What happens if, I don’t know, President Gavin Newsom comes along and decides to use those same regulations to crack down on you? I think as opposed to trying to regulate what we have, we need to create our own space.”

Jacobs would forbid states from receiving federal funds for public services to undocumented immigrants if he were in Washington, D.C. He says illegal aliens find free education and universal healthcare enticing, funded by taxpayers.

“If you take away the magnet that brings people here in that regard, that would really help at least make the problem much more manageable. It’s funny because now you are seeing the Biden administration is blaming all of this on Trump. When Trump was in office, the policies he implemented were working. They (the left) reversed all of those and guess what? This is what you get.

“Especially when you advertise, ‘Hey, come here and get all of this free stuff.’ What do you think is going to happen? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the end result is going to be with the policies that are currently in place. These horrible policies of the federal government impact the state and local, then the feds turn around and say, ‘You can’t do anything about it’.” 

Jacobs endorses President Trump as the Republican nominee for the 2024 election, claiming that his projection of strength and unpredictability could have averted global conflicts.

“When he would say something, people would be like, ‘He might actually do that, so we probably don’t want to mess around with him.’ With Biden, it’s just, ‘Do whatever you want, you know nothing is going to happen.’ Because of that, the Middle East is on fire. That is a war that could quickly spiral out of control and turn into a world war. China could get involved. If it goes further, Iran, Russia and China could be at the table. 

Jacobs is upset about the senseless deaths of three American soldiers in Jordan, and thinks politicians should stop exploiting the military. 

“Our boys and girls are not pawns. They should never be placed in harm’s way unless it is in direct defense of this country. I’m really sick and tired of politicians who view our military as a tool to be used for whatever objective they have. In many cases, it does not have a lot to do with America. It is just whatever game they are playing. It is sick.”

He says the removal of Lady Justice’s blindfold while she targets political figures is one of the most terrifying things he has witnessed in his lifetime, and that the weaponization of the federal government has had a negative impact on present-day America, causing division.

“That is not how this whole thing is supposed to work. I am always stunned that the folks on the left cheer this on without realizing that tomorrow it could be turned against them. The things happening to Trump are just ludicrous. Look, Jan. 6th was a horrible episode. It was a riot; it was not an insurrection. 

“It was not an attempt to overthrow the government. It was embarrassing and should have never happened. Trump actually said, ‘peaceful’; he did not say to go in and do those things. Meanwhile, you turn around and look at after Roe vs. Wade was overturned. You literally had the far left hijack the Oklahoma State Capitol. They were almost holding the legislators hostage. 

“It was the same thing that happened in Washington D.C., but nobody is saying, ‘Oh my gosh, they tried to overthrow the Oklahoma state government.’ This idea that somehow Trump is guilty of insurrection under the 14th amendment is ludicrous. He hasn’t been convicted of a crime. You have due process in this country, and how can you say you can keep someone off the ballot for a crime he was never convicted of? It is insane. It’s an assault on the very foundation of this country, which is the rule of law, which is supposed to be equally applied to everybody. That is terrifying.”

To follow Mayor Glenn Jacobs and his endeavors, visit the Knox County website, his personal website, or follow him on Facebook and X.