Benjamin Franklin lends his name to almost everything in Philadelphia: bridges, parkways, museums, and ice-cream parlors — but this Founding Father says he’s keeping a safe distance from the Democratic National Convention this week.

Asked if he would be endorsing Hillary Clinton, Robert DeVitis, one of the City of Brotherly Love’s top Franklin impersonators, was adamant: “I won’t do that,” he told MarketWatch. “It wouldn’t be fair to. I don’t want to ruin or tarnish his legacy — I am portraying someone from the past.”

As Franklin, DeVitis has appeared at countless city events, ribbon cuttings and weddings — often alongside fellow Philadelphia luminaries such as the Philly Phanatic and Rocky Balboa. (He declined to say how many Franklins he charges for such walking tours and photo ops.)

“ ‘Who do I want to be the next president? Thomas Jefferson.’ ” — Benjamin Franklin impersonator Robert DeVitis

But it’s a testament to the lightning-rod character of this election that a man who flies kites into thunderstorms is fearful of getting singed by presidential politics.

“I was asked to do a welcome speech at an event at Valley Forge this week and they wanted me to say something political — so I told them absolutely not,” the principled Franklin said. “Who do I want to be the next president? Thomas Jefferson, I told them.”

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Though it’s tempting to imagine what the Founding Fathers would think of America in 2016 — would Alexander Hamilton have preferred Javier Munoz to Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role of the musical “Hamilton”? — DeVitis says these are sort of silly thought experiments.

But pressed to make such a speculation, DeVitis did tip his hand, slightly: “If he were here now, I think he’d say the government has gotten too big for his taste — exactly what Jefferson warned about at the time.”

Even though he won’t be taking sides, Franklin has agreed to make appearances at parties and events around the Democratic Convention. (However, he seemed much more excited about an appearance at a horticultural convention also happening this week. “Not everyone is aware of Franklin’s contributions to horticulture,” DeVitis said.)

To be clear, this Benjamin Franklin is no Bernie Bro. And he’s not backing Donald Trump. He’s just holding true to that famous aphorism, “Silence is not always a sign of wisdom, but babbling is ever a mark of folly.”