The man targeted vintage furniture dealers and influencers. Then they banded together to try to take him down.

Former reality TV star Mark Moran has launched his U.S. Senate bid in Virginia, positioning himself as an independent challenger to incumbent Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and ripping both major parties.Moran, best known for appearing on the short-lived HBO Max dating series “FBoy Island,” announced his campaign in a video posted Friday, saying he is “breaking free from the Democratic establishment” to run as an independent and will put “Virginia & America First.”“I’m doing that because I’m putting our country first. I’m putting it above these divisive issues that the Left, that the Right, and our corporate media control,” he said in the announcement. Moran has framed his campaign around what he describes as “big, bold ideas” to “simplify” and “restructure” government, arguing that “everything is wrong, and that’s because money controls.”He has taken aim at the incumbent Democrat, calling Warner an “oligarch” and urging voters to reject establishment politics ahead of Virginia’s August 4 primary.Today, I am putting Virginia & America First, to announce that I am running as an Independent for U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/NUPa5xTvd0— Mark Moran for U.S. Senate (@itsmarkmoran) April 2, 2026Moran previously worked in investment banking and built an online following centered on what he called “Wall Street culture.” He claims to have left the industry due to moral objections.The political newcomer has also broken with Democratic orthodoxy on some issues, including gun rights.“After facing a personal safety issue, I got a gun. It made me realize how extreme our party’s stance has become,” Moran posted on social media. “The founders wrote the 2A to protect us from tyranny…whether that tyranny comes from Donald Trump or a state legislature trying to disarm you.”“The Second Amendment isn’t about hunting. It’s about power…the people’s power,” Moran’s campaign website says. “It’s the final check on a government that seeks to control its citizens. It’s exactly what Jefferson warned us about.”Moran has drawn attention for his combative online presence as well. In response to a critic on his campaign launch video, he wrote, “Read the website retard, nobody has ever talked about my ideas bc no one has had my unique experience – enjoy !!”This was in response to an X user writing, “Yeah, cool Mark. Go ahead and TURN IT ALL AROUND once you get elected. No clue why no one else has ever thought of all these buzzwords and catchphrases before, I’m sure you’ll sort it all out.”Moran told The Daily Caller that he has taken cues from President Donald Trump’s use of media and public persona. “It always makes me laugh when people think Donald Trump is dumb. Donald Trump understood the power of the medium of reality TV earlier than anyone else, and he saw that to have any sway over the American populace, you had to control the hearts and minds … of the American people,” he told the outlet. “This is a concept that goes back to Thomas Jefferson.”He added that reality TV remains one of the most effective ways to reach a broad audience.“I’ve always known that I would [run for office], and in looking at reality TV, I saw an opportunity to learn firsthand this … is the only medium right now, aside from social media, that can capture the attention of over 50% of Americans. Fox News can’t do that. CNN can’t do that, but reality TV can,” he said. “The Kardashians saw that. What you learned is you’re essentially a caricature of yourself.”“You play an aggrandized version of yourself, which Trump does masterfully,” Moran went on. “And why people love him is he is so unapologetically American. And that is the thing that people come to love about certain reality TV individuals, whether it’s the Kardashians or it’s ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,’ all of this that they’re just themselves, and they don’t apologize for it.”

U.S. immigration authorities followed "clues" shared by China's narcotics control commission to repatriate the fugitive, Beijing's public security ministry said.

Tiger Woods keeps getting the same luxury modern America now offers almost everyone: an endless supply of explanations that make accountability feel optional.

U.S. officials confirmed that an F-15E fighter jet went down over Iran.

He's considering firing some of his most loyal sycophants, his Secretary of War is at war with the US military - and Trump keeps boasting about committing war crimes in Iran

A gas station, Gorda By The Sea, in Big Sur is charging nearly $10. The owner said his premium gas costs $9.99 is because he's limited by the number of digits on his pump.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: At a Good Friday ceremony in the Philippines, Ruben Enaje, 65, was crucified for the final time after 37 years in a row at a ceremony intended to portray Jesus' suffering

Ex Republican congressman Matt Gaetz made a bizarre claim that the U.S. military has a secret project in which it's breeding aliens with abducted humans

Evangelist and Samaritan s Purse CEO Franklin Graham cited the Old Testament example of King David earlier this week to push back against Pope Leo XIV s claim that God rejects the prayers of those

An energy official has warned that fuel rationing could be on the cards in Europe over the upheaval caused by the Iran war - as prices at the pumps in the UK stay high

Sam Altman is buying his favorite show, Larry Ellison is buying CNN to merge it with CBS News, Jamie Dimon is toying with launching a venture. It may mark a new era of vanity media owners.

It was not clear how the two-seater jet went down.

Globally, China led the U.S. in 2025 leadership approval (36% vs. 31%), one of the widest gaps in 20 years, while U.S. disapproval hit a record high of 48%.

An affiliate of Iranian state TV claimed a US pilot was ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran Friday.

U.S. President Donald Trump gives a final heave to try and keep under-pressure Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in power.