Mark Zuckerberg's goal to visit every US state in 2017 suggests plans to pursue political career

Mark Zuckerberg’s new years resolution has fuelled further speculation around the idea he could pursue a career in politics.

The Facebook CEO has announced he is planning to visit and meet people in every US state by the end of the year. He said he had spent a great deal of time in a number of states already so he would need to travel to around 30 states this year in order to complete his goal.

Zuckerberg said that his trip around America would involve stops in small towns and universities, road trips with his wife Priscilla Chan, visits to Facebook offices, meetings with teachers and scientists, and trips to fun places of recommendation. He said he would explain how people around the world could join in his challenge on Wednesday.

“After a tumultuous last year, my hope for this challenge is to get out and talk to more people about how they're living, working and thinking about the future,” the billionaire tech titan wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“Going into this challenge, it seems we are at a turning point in history. For decades, technology and globalisation have made us more productive and connected,” he continued. “This has created many benefits, but for a lot of people it has also made life more challenging. This has contributed to a greater sense of division than I have felt in my lifetime. We need to find a way to change the game so it works for everyone.”

This statesman-like challenge has been viewed by some as the latest indication Zuckerberg could be keen to move into the political sphere. In December, it was reported that unsealed court filings from a class-action lawsuit filed in April revealed Zuckerberg and two board members had discussed how the CEO could take up politics while maintaining control of Facebook.

It was reported that Marc Andreessen, a venture capitalist who is one of the company’s most high-profile investors, texted Zuckerberg in March to say that the “biggest issue” of the corporate proposal was “how to define the gov’t service thing without freaking out shareholders that you are losing commitment”.

In another sign he might hold political ambitions, Zuckerberg announced on Christmas Day that he was no longer an atheist after years of saying he was not religious. “Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Priscilla, Max, Beast and me,” he wrote, referring to his wife, daughter and dog.

In response to a commenter asking if he was atheist, he said: “No. I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important.”

According to a Gallup poll in 2012, only 54 per cent said they would be willing to vote for an atheist. The survey also found that atheist was the religious category people were least likely to vote for.

Zuckerberg has already shown a key interest in politics, launching the lobby group fwd.us to support immigration reform and boost the H1B visa program. What’s more, in September, Zuckerberg and his wife Chan pledged more than $3bn (£2.3bn) toward a plan to “cure, prevent or manage all disease within our children's lifetime” via their philanthropic company the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Zuckerberg has also spent recent years meeting world leaders, including the Pope at the Vatican in August, David Cameron in 2010 and China's president, Xi Jinping, in September 2015.

It is unclear exactly where Zuckerberg’s political allegiances lie and which party he would align himself with if he were to make a presidential bid. He has previously eschewed the label of Democrat or Republican instead saying in 2013: “I'm pro-knowledge economy.”

Zuckerberg’s clout on social media and hefty fanbase, he has over 83 million followers on Facebook, would be massively beneficial if he were to pursue a career in politics. What’s more, Donald Trump’s surprise win in November has proved it is possible for celebrities with no previous experience in political office to win over the electorate.