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Old names give political passage to fresh faces

Bilirakis. Castor. Chiles. Young. Florida increasingly taps bloodlines for its next generation of leaders.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published January 24, 2005

In Miami, Democrat Kendrick Meek waltzed into his mother's congressional seat in 2003 without breaking a sweat. He serves in Washington alongside the Republican Diaz-Balart brothers, Lincoln and Mario.

In the Tampa Bay area, one of lowest-profile members of the state legislature, Gus Bilirakis, will be tough to beat for a rare open congressional seat. Why? Because his father, Michael Bilirakis, is the one vacating office.

In Polk County, the first confirmed candidate for governor in 2006 heard plenty of enthusiasm as he worked the crowd the other day. "People were saying, "If you're half the man your father was -," recounted Lawton "Bud" Chiles III.

Political nepotism is thriving in Florida. In a state dominated lately by the Bush family, aspiring political dynasties are popping up everywhere, especially around the Tampa Bay area.

Consider:

If Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, runs for governor as many expect, he may face former state Education Commissioner and Senate candidate Betty Castor. Her daughter, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor, is looking at running for Davis' congressional seat. And a likely Kathy Castor rival for that congressional seat is state Sen. Les Miller, husband of Tampa City Council member Gwen Miller.

Meanwhile, chiropractor Rod Jones, the son of 27-year state legislator Dennis Jones, is looking at running to succeed Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg, in the state House.

Pinellas politicos are wondering whether Billy Young, the 20-year-old son of veteran Republican Rep. C.W. Bill Young, will run for office soon or wait a few years until his father is ready to retire. Rep. Young noted that Billy, a junior at the University of South Florida, has political ambitions but has to wait until he's 25 to run for Congress.

In other words, Florida could have a Bilirakis and a Young in its delegation for years to come.

As a former senator's son, newly elected Rep. Connie Mack IV would be the first to note that the list list goes on and on. He's from Broward County, where the son of Democratic Sheriff Ken Jenne is running for the state House.

Government watchdogs complain of special interest money or gerrymandered districts eliminating competition in political races, but bloodlines can have the same potential.

"It's a bit of a change for Florida, where we've grown so fast and had so much new blood coming in for 30 or 40 years, we really haven't had time for political dynasties to develop," said University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett.

"But in politics you have a much better chance of winning if your mom or dad have gained a lot of respect and name recognition in office, and you can use their contacts and their name recognition."

So Bud Chiles enters the Democratic gubernatorial primary as a first-time candidate with far more name recognition across Florida than his major potential rivals: Davis, state Democratic Chairman Scott Maddox and state Sen. Rod Smith. (As if one iconic political name isn't enough, New Times in Miami reported that some Democrats want Ted Kennedy's 39-year-old nephew, Anthony Kennedy Shriver, to jump into the race).

Asked about his lack of political experience, Bud Chiles pointed to another once-untested but ambitious rookie: Jeb Bush.

Family ties explain why some Republican strategists expect low-key Gus Bilirakis to scare away some formidable candidates who otherwise might jump at an open congressional seat.

The Bilirakis name is well-established in the strongly Republican district, and constituents note that Gus Bilirakis has taken lately to emphasizing his middle name - as in Gus Michael Bilirakis. What's more, Michael Bilirakis is a ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce committee and in a position to ensure plenty of Washington campaign donations flow into Gus' account.

"There's no question that the politician's son or daughter has an advantage right off the bat by virtue of their name recognition and their ability to raise more money early. It's an uphill battle for their challengers," said state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, who said he is being encouraged to run for Bilirakis' congressional seat but hasn't seriously looked at it.

Fasano said voters ultimately examine each candidate individually, and political pedigree is not necessarily the deciding factor.

Tiffany Todd, the daughter of former county commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd and the late school board member Tom Todd, can vouch for that, having lost her school board bid in 2002. Likewise, Kathy Castor lost a legislative race in 2000, and Jeb Bush lost his first gubernatorial campaign.

Former Republican state Sen. John Grant of Tampa is looking at challenging Gus Bilirakis. "Congress is something you earn and not something you inherit," he said last week.

The young Bilirakis agreed: "It's not going to be inherited. It's the people's seat, and I'm going to earn it. This will be a grass roots campaign."

That politicians spawn politicians should be no more surprising than doctors raising doctors. Children who grow up immersed in political campaigning and policy debates often catch the bug themselves.

"I probably wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to do this if I hadn't been raised the way I was," said Bud Chiles, 51, recounting political activity going back to his kindergarten years. "There's a DNA factor, I guess. My genetic code."

Kathy Castor said her passion for public policy comes largely from her mother and father, former County Judge Don Castor. To this day, she turns to her parents for advice and bounces ideas off them.

Gus Bilirakis, meanwhile, said his political and policy interests are not necessarily inherited from his father. He was a political junkie even as a kid, he said, and as an 18-year-old was probably more interested in politics than his father, when party leaders recruited him to run for Congress.

The mini-monarchies sprouting across the state are hardly unique to Florida. When President Bush greeted the freshman class of Congress a few weeks ago, he noted that the group included at least four members who were preceded in Congress by their mother or father.

"I get a little nervous when the son follows the father," the president quipped.

"I know something about having a brother in politics, too."

--Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 24, 2005, 01:31:19]