WASHINGTON — After last September's terrorist attacks, this was supposed to be an election year when concern about public safety rewarded candidates with political experience.
But a surprising number of business executives and entrepreneurs are challenging that assumption with strong campaigns for office, especially in governors' races.
Candidates with backgrounds in business but no elected experience are seeking governorships in nine states--one-quarter of this year's gubernatorial contests. The latest example occurred Tuesday as former venture capitalist Mitt Romney, who headed the committee that ran the Olympics in Salt Lake City, was effectively handed the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Massachusetts when GOP acting Gov. Jane Swift withdrew rather than face him.
Two other businessmen-turned-candidates--Republican Bill Simon Jr. in California and Democrat Tony Sanchez in Texas--have already won gubernatorial primaries. Several others have established themselves as favorites in their primary contests.
This bull market in business candidates follows a trend that has intensified the last two decades, one fueled partly by a public suspicion of government that allowed wealthy executives to run as populist outsiders. These candidates also touted their skills to fix broken bureaucracies.
The question for this year's crop of business contenders is whether that advantage will survive an electoral environment reshaped both by Sept. 11 and the Enron Corp. scandal. In both parties, many operatives believe Enron has diminished the high standing business enjoyed during the boom years of the 1990s--while Washington's response to the terrorist attacks has restored at least some faith in government and elected officials.
Yet even in this tougher climate, most of the business candidates are running well.
"At the end of the day, people respect somebody who is willing to put their money where their mouth is and are doing something because they think it is the right thing to do, not because they want to fulfill a career," said Brian Sullivan, an entrepreneur seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Minnesota.
The success of these candidates is a testament not only to the continuing political appeal of the business resume--especially in races for executive-branch positions--but the practical advantage for candidates who can fund their campaigns largely by reaching into their own wallets. Business executives--like Sanchez or New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg--have used their money to swamp opponents.
