Regards to Wayne running see below
Politics
Wayne was a
conservative Republican. Wayne used his iconic status to support
conservative causes, including rallying support for the Vietnam War by producing, co-directing, and starring in the critically panned
The Green Berets (1968). In 1978 however, he enraged conservatives by supporting liberal causes such as the
Panama Canal Treaty and the innocence of
Patty Hearst.
[10][11]
Due to his enormous popularity, and his status as the most famous Republican star in Hollywood, wealthy Texas Republican Party backers asked Wayne to run for national office in 1968, as had his friend and fellow actor, Senator
George Murphy. He declined, joking that he did not believe the public would seriously consider an actor in the
White House. However, he did support his friend
Ronald Reagan's runs for Governor of California in 1966 and 1970. He was also asked to be the running mate for Democratic
Alabama Governor
George Wallace in 1968. Wayne vehemently rejected the offer.
[12] Wayne actively campaigned for
Richard Nixon,
[13] and addressed the
Republican National Convention on its opening day in August 1968. Wayne also was a member of the conservative and anti-communist
John Birch Society.
[14]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_wayne#cite_note-16