In a close election race, it doesn’t hurt to have a built-in fan base.
Chris Dudley, in his first political race, is happy to have support in Oregon’s governor’s contest from voters who are more impressed by his six seasons as a center for the National Basketball Association’s Portland Trail Blazers than his degree in economics and political science from Yale University or experience as a partner in the money-management firm Filigree Advisors.
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“Take it any way you can get it,” the 6-foot, 11-inch Dudley said.
Dudley, 45, is one of at least five former professional athletes running as Republicans for state and federal offices for the November election. That’s no coincidence, according to Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, head of the Republican congressional recruitment.
McCarthy helped persuade former Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jon Runyan to run for New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District against first-term Democrat John Adler.
“A lot of people are athletes, but only a few get to that high level,” he said. “People know him when you walk into the room.”
That has worked for Shawn Bradley, the 7-foot, 6-inch former center who played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks who is running for a seat in Utah’s legislature. Other former athletes running as Republicans this year are Keith Fimian, who played briefly for the Cleveland Browns and is seeking a House seat from Virginia, and former Washington Redskins tight end Clint Didier, who is seeking the Republican nomination for Senate in Washington.
Second careers
They are following a well-worn path into second careers.
The late Jack Kemp played football for the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers before being elected to Congress as a Republican from the Buffalo, N.Y., area. Former New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bill Bradley played for the New York Knicks and retiring Sen. Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, is a Hall of Fame pitcher who played for Major League Baseball’s Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies.
The list also includes North Carolina Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler, who played quarterback for three National Football League teams.
While Shuler is seeking re-election, Democrats haven’t put any new recruits from the world of professional athletics on the ballot for November.
Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., said politics is a natural draw for people who’ve spent much of their careers in public view.
