8 US politicians who have tattoos: From Sarah Palin to John Fetterman

8 US politicians who got tattoos: From Nancy Mace to Lauren Boebert

American politicians have not taken their public service career as an excuse to stay away from inking their bodies. While some try to get it in secret and keep it hidden from the public, others have been open about their choice to get inked. Here are eight politicians who are known to have tattoos.  

1. Colorado Rep Lauren Boebert

Rep Lauren Boebert made headlines last week after a viral bikini picture revealed her massive torso tattoo. The secret tattoo became public after Florida Rep Matt Geatz's wife, Ginger Gaetz, shared a photo on X (formerly Twitter). The photograph featured Boebert wearing a chic dark blue bikini top with sleek, cheetah print bottoms accented with gold. A tribal tattoo starting from her pelvic bone toward the top part of her abdomen covered a major part of her right side.

2. Connecticut Rep Rosa DeLauro

Rep Rosa DeLauro, in a bold move, inked her left upper arm at the age of 80. The tattoo features a rose symbolizing her name, Rosa. The central petal forms a "D" for her last name, while the bottom left includes a stylized outline of Italy, her father's home country. DeLauro's granddaughter inspired the octogenarian to get a tattoo, as the politican said, "For her 18th birthday, my granddaughter wanted to get a tattoo with me. So, we went together," as per the Associated Press. 

3. Pennsylvania Sen John Fetterman

John Fetterman disclosed in an NBC News op-ed that by 2022 he had nine tattoos on just his right forearm. "Each one is a day on which someone died violently in Braddock, Pennsylvania, while I was mayor," said the politician. One of his earliest tattoos reads 01.16.06, marking the date when Christopher Williams was shot and killed while delivering pizzas. He further remarked, "My decision to mark these deaths with tattoos was inspired in part by their permanence — the fact that these people, their stories and my town will be with me forever." Another tattoo on his right arm is Braddock's zip code - 15104. The 55-year-old served as the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, from 2006 to 2019.  

4. Former Pennsylvania Rep Brian Sims

Brian Sims inked a Ben Franklin quote on his inner arm that says, "Be civil to all, sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none." The former lawmaker wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he tattoed the quote as an ode to Franklin, who was Pennsylvania's first Speaker of the House, and that those were some of his first words after assuming the speakership.

5. South Carolina Rep Nancy Mace

Rep Nancy Mace, who recently drew flak for intentionally mispronouncing Vice President Kamala Harris' first name, is also a member of Washington, DC's tattoo club. But compared to her GOP colleague Boebert, the South Carolina lawmaker inked only a minor part of her body. She has a tattoo on the left side of her torso, which is usually covered by her blazers. It is unclear what it says.

6. Former Alaska Gov Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, has a tiny tattoo on her right forearm. The minute inscription is often seen in her Instagram posts. Since it is on her inner forearm, what it says remains unclear. The Republican has also inked her ankle with the design of a big dipper. 

7. Former North Carolina Rep Madison Cawthorn

Former lawmaker Madison Cawthorn has several tattoos covering his left forearm. The tattoo below his elbow reads, "ΙΠVΦCTVS ΜΛΠΣΘ," which is possibly a Latin phrase written in Greek. 

8. Virginia Sen Danica Roem

Danica Roem inked her arm with the first 24 words of the Equal Rights Amendment, as per the Washington Post. The Democratic lawmaker, who's the first openly trans person elected to Virginia's Senate, said she "always wanted to get ink done at some point." The tattoo reads, "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."