When CNN viewers watched Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown on Sunday morning arguing for higher taxes in a crisp suit and tie, they couldn't see what was below the camera's sight line: a filthy pair of sneakers worn over plaid dress socks.
Brown's wife Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist who teaches journalism at Kent State University, tweeted a pair of revealing behind-the scenes photos showing the potential presidential candidate's informal interview attire.
One picture shows Brown talking to 'State of the Union' substitute host Dana Bash with the broadcast backdrop behind him. The other is focused on a pair of ratty New Balance running shoes with 'Made in the USA' on the tongue.
'He will always be Sherrod,' Schultz tweeted from Cleveland, where the senator sat for the interview via satellite remote.
Ohio Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown appeared Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union' program
Brown's wife, Connie Schultz, tweeted a photo of the senator in his pressed suit and grimy running shoes
Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning opinion columnist, turned the wardrobe mismatch into an endearing moment for her husband, who has built a political image as a populist outsider
It's not uncommon for politicians and reporters to sit for TV interviews in less than a full outfit, especially when they're in remote locations with one-camera studios that only shoot them from the chest up.
'Nobody sees your feet on those things. Gotta go with what's comfortable,' tweeted Jim Swift, a former 'Weekly Standard' editor who blogs for the conservative website The Bulwark.
'Could be worse: I once saw Tucker Carlson wear his wife's socks on an episode of Crossfire in the early 2000s.'
David Rothkopf, a Johns Hopkins University professor who was until 2017 CEO of the company that owns Foreign Policy magazine, tweeted that the homespun look works well for Brown.
'This is the kind of shot that could get a man elected president,' he wrote.
Twitter user Donna Zolnoski weighed in: 'Gotta
