Man Legally Changes Name to Barack Obama Before Running for Governor: It ‘Represents Hope’

One man was so inspired by Barack Obama that he legally changed his name to match the former president’s — and he’s now seeking to be elected as the governor of California.

The man was born as Cecil L. Shaw III, before legally changing it to Barack D. Obama Shaw in 2013. However, it all started with a different nickname.

“When I got out of high school people used to say to me ‘You remind me of Denzel Washington,'” Shaw told Newsweek in an interview published on May 30. “Later on it became Barack Obama. I wanted a uniform that didn’t come off, something that was going to remind me of the new me: a person of hope, a person of music, a person of leadership.”

After running for mayor of Alameda and coming in third place with 6 percent of the vote, Shaw decided to try his hand at a bigger role and run for governor. He’s one of 61 candidates running for the position.

Shaw added that the name, for him, “represents hope.”

“Obama made the impossible possible for people that looked like me, to become President of the United States,” he explained. “It was the greatest moment of my life to witness that. I want people to be able to experience that type of hope again.”

The California governor hopeful made sure to give the former president all the credit in a separate interview.

“Barack Obama is the superhero. I’m the guy wearing his suit that’s me,” Shaw told Spectrum News. “I’m the one that has the privilege that carries that banner around.”