• FEBRUARY 6, 2010

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For GOP, No Experience Is No Problem

Party Drafts Political Newcomers as Candidates in a Bid to Capitalize on Voters' Anti-Incumbent, Anti-Washington Mood

By SUSAN DAVIS

Scott Rigell is best known around Virginia Beach as a car dealer. Come January, he is hoping to be known by another title: congressman.

Seeking to tap into growing anti-establishment discord among voters, the Republican Party is actively seeking candidates who have never before held elected office.

Bruce O'Donoghue owns a company that makes traffic-light systems; he is challenging Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson. Jon Runyan, a former player for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers, is running in southern New Jersey.

"My roots run deep in Tennessee, not politics," reads the banner across the campaign Web site of Stephen Fincher, a Tennessee farmer and gospel singer heavily wooed by Washington Republicans to run this year.

Such Republicans are contesting six of the 20 most competitive House seats currently held by Democrats. At least as many are found in districts that could become more competitive as election season heats up. Filing deadlines to run for Congress are still months away in most states, so it is possible more newcomers could join the fold.

Running political newcomers is a proven strategy when the political tide swings drastically toward one side, and at times when voters have soured on Washington in general. In 1994, when Republicans won a majority of House seats after four decades in the minority, 55% of the party's 73 freshmen lawmakers had never held political office. Similarly in 2006, when Democrats took control, 45% of their new lawmakers had never held office before.

Chris Russell, campaign consultant for Mr. Runyan, called 2010 a good year to be running as an outsider. "I don't want to overstate it, but people hate politicians," he said.

The strategy could help Republicans tap into enthusiasm generated among Tea Party groups and other conservatives. Though these activists have sprung from the right, they remain antagonistic toward the GOP establishment. The movement arose in part as a backlash against the government's intervention in Wall Street and the auto industry, as well as opposition to Democratic initiatives, including a health-care overhaul.

This year, running newcomers is "absolutely the story of Republican recruiting," said David Wasserman, a House race analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Cook currently predicts the GOP will gain between 25 and 35 House seats this fall, and doesn't rule out the more distant possibility of a Republican takeover, which would require a net gain of 40 seats.

Mr. Wasserman predicted a significant number of freshmen GOP lawmakers this November would be political newcomers. Many are running on a platform of fiscal rectitude, a nod to how the economy and role of government are dominating public debate. "We really are at a defining moment," Mr. Rigell said in an interview, during which he echoed a theme of economic uncertainty voiced by other candidates. "I look at the fiscal side of this country and I am alarmed and deeply troubled.

Unlike the 1994 setback, which caught the Democrats by surprise, the party is keenly aware of the political headwinds they face in the midterms, when the president's party typically loses seats.

The House Democrats' campaign operation has a significant cash advantage over its Republican counterpart: $16.6 million to $2.7 million. And incumbents are fund-raising in anticipation of competitive contests. Florida's Mr. Grayson said Wednesday that his $861,000 fourth-quarter haul was more than any other Democratic candidate's.

Many of these newcomers will also have to survive primary elections. Mr. O'Donoghue is favored by party leaders—he expects to be endorsed by Florida's retiring Republican Sen. Mel Martinez this week—but a crowded 12-way primary awaits.

Moreover, voters aren't necessarily ready to embrace Republicans, despite GOP victories in governor's races last year in Virginia and New Jersey and an upset win in last month's Massachusetts U.S. Senate race. Those victories relied on independent voters, not party loyalists.

A January Wall Street Journal/NBC poll showed 42% of Americans held a negative view of the Republican Party and 30% held a positive one. "The Republican brand is damaged," Mr. Rigell said. "I have to overcome that."

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In entry-level positions, no experience/little political experience is ok provided they can persuade people that upon being elected, they as reps will do the right thing by their people/constituency.

But for higher level offices, significant proven experience is necessary. How a person has handled adversarial and difficult situations will be visible to people. 

Important and complicated situations that have been handled well especially when they are under the limelight will make a huge impact on candidate's prospects.