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Los Angeles Times - November 9, 2003
Politicians Run From the Senate
Many strong potential candidates reject parties'
overtures, citing private and political factors
By Janet Hook - LA Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — The world's most exclusive club is facing a surprising problem: A lot of people don't want to become members. With elections for the U.S. Senate only a year away, leaders of both political parties have gotten the cold shoulder from many people they begged to run.
It has been 10 months since Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) announced he would retire in 2004; Democrats still have no serious candidate to replace him. Republican hopes of toppling Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who won by only 428 votes in 1998, suffered a blow when a popular GOP House member said no. Incumbents anticipating tough reelection fights in Arkansas and Missouri are breathing more easily now that some formidable potential opponents have declined to run.
Even the White House, which recruited some of the GOP's strongest Senate candidates for 2002, has come away empty-handed in several states where President Bush tried to persuade popular politicians to run.
Every campaign cycle brings its disappointments for party leaders who recruit candidates. But this year, the consequence of such failure is especially significant because control of the Senate is balanced on a knife's edge: Republicans hold 51 seats in the 100-member chamber.
Each case involves a host of personal and political factors shaping individual career decisions. Family considerations, gubernatorial ambitions, attachment to a lucrative job in the private sector — all loom large in decisions to forgo a Senate race. But this year, some analysts and strategists say, other factors have made it less appealing to run for the office that once was considered the crown jewel of many political careers.
Because of the volatile political and economic environment, running for the Senate can be a risky proposition. No one knows how the war in Iraq or the U.S. economy will look a year from now — and to whose political advantage either will work.
In addition, the cost of a Senate campaign has skyrocketed: In the 2002 elections, six Senate candidates each spent more than $10 million on their campaigns, according to the Federal Election Commission — and expenses will only increase. However, because of new campaign finance rules, national party committees cannot offer candidates as much assistance as they once did.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-senate9nov09,1,6477889.story?coll=la-home-headlines
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