Family Ties: Famous Political Names Running in 2014
A younger generation is running for office, often following in Dad's footsteps.
Nov. 11, 2013— -- intro: Former President Jimmy Carter's grandson, Jason Carter, has announced his plans to run for Georgia governor in 2014. Jimmy Carter was governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.
The Democratic state senator told the Associated Press he can't wait to start addressing an education system that is "on the brink and an economy that's not working for the middle class."
Carter won't be the only Democrat on the 2014 Georgia ballot with a famous political family tree. Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn, also a Democrat, is running for office. Nunn, the Points of Light foundation CEO, announced in July that she will run as a Democratic candidate for the Senate in 2014.
The list of famous political descendants running for election next year includes more than just Nunn and Carter in Georgia. Here's a look at relatives of some of the more famous names who are running to get into or stay in the family business in 2014:
quicklist: 1title: Liz Cheney text: Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, announced in July her plans to run for Senate in Wyoming in 2014.
The former vice president's daughter has positioned herself as the more conservative, more enthusiastic Republican alternative to current Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., whom she plans to oust in the Republican primary.
Cheney not only has her famous father in her corner, but conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh as well. In July, Limbaugh praised Cheney on his show, and said, "After all the great things Dick Cheney has done for our country over his long brilliant career, Liz Cheney might turn out to be one of his biggest contributions of all."
Cheney has hit a few bumps in her campaign for Senate; mainly receiving criticism from the Wyoming media and elected officials about her lack of ties to the state. In July, Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R) told reporters, "It is a unique strategy to live your entire life elsewhere and then come to a state a year before you're going to announce you're going to run for that state's highest office."
But Cheney has fired back on the "carpetbagging" label, that same month, she told The Hill, "I am a fourth-generation Wyomingite. My family first came here in 1852, walking the Mormon Trail in search of religious freedom. My great-grandfather settled here in 1907. Wyoming has always been home." media: 19685515
quicklist: 2title: George P. Bushtext: Another George Bush is looking to make a name for himself in Texas in 2014.
George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is running for office as a candidate for Texas land commissioner.
The 37-year-old, along with brother Jeb Bush Jr. aren't new to the political scene. The two have been devoted to promoting Hispanics in politics by founding two PACs in their respective states. George P. Bush is a founder of the Hispanic Republicans of Texas, a PAC devoted to promoting Hispanics in Texas politics, while Jeb Bush Jr. is the founder of Sun PAC, a Florida group that recruits conservative Hispanic political candidates.media: 20832358
quicklist: 3title: Gwen Grahamtext: Daughter of the Florida Democrat Bob Graham, Gwen Graham is following in her father's footsteps in 2014 and running for Congress.
Bob Graham served three terms in the Senate, and was even a presidential candidate in 2004. Now his daughter is taking a shot at representing Florida in the House, in her first run for office.
Even though this is Graham's first campaign for office as a candidate, she does not lack experience on the campaign trail. After her father dropped out of the presidential race in 2004, she began to work for Howard Dean, and later aided John Kerry's campaign in Florida. media: 20832996
quicklist: 4title: Shelley Moore Capitotext: The daughter of former congressman and three-term governor of West Virginia Arch Moore, Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, is poised to have a political career even longer than her famous father's.
After winning her seventh House term, the congresswoman from West Virginia followed her victory with an announcement later that month that she was running for Senate.
Since then, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat, decided not to run for reelection and two prospective Democratic candidates have opted out of the race.
In 2000, Capito was the first woman West Virginia sent to Congress, and since then, she has held her seat representing the state's second district comfortably, winning every election since then by large double-digit margins. media: 20832719
quicklist: 5title: Mark Begichtext: Sen. Mark Begich, the freshman senator from Alaska and a Democrat, has family history in Congress.
His father, the late Rep. Nick Begich, was elected to Congress in 1970, representing Alaska's only congressional district. Tragically, the former congressman died in a plane crash, just two years later, along with House majority leader Hale Boggs and two others.
Prior to serving in the Senate, Begich served as mayor of Anchorage. When elected, he was the first mayor born and raised in the Alaskan city.
The race in 2014 is projected to be tough for Begich. The Alaskan senator is considered to be one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents up for reelection in 2014, given that his state is normally a lock-in for the GOP and in the 2012 presidential election went to Mitt Romney by a double-digit margin. media: 20832836
quicklist: 6title: Mary Landrieutext: Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, has spent her political career representing the state of Louisiana. Landrieu began working in politics at age 23 when she was elected to the state legislature. After serving eight years as a state representative and two terms as state treasurer, she became the first woman from Louisiana elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate in 1996.
Politics is a family affair for Landrieu, who is the daughter of former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu. During his time as mayor, from 1970-1978, he worked tirelessly to desegregate the city, and raised the number of African Americans working for the city from 19 percent when he entered office to 43 percent when he left eight years later.
Additionally, Landrieu's younger brother, Mitch Landrieu, has followed in their father's footsteps, and serves as the current mayor of New Orleans.media: 20831679
quicklist: 7title: Mark Pryortext: Sen. Mark Pryor, a Democrat, has learned to put Arkansas first, from his father, David Pryor, former governor and U.S. senator.
"Always puts Arkansas first" is a campaign slogan that has been associated with the Pryor family for decades, and one that the current senator hopes will draw up positive memories and name recognition for him in a difficult 2014 reelection race.
Both parties seem to agree that the two-term senator is the most vulnerable incumbent seeking reelection next year. But Pryor's campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, hopes to rely on Pryor's record as a good match for the state. Weaver recently told Roll Call, "Mark Pryor has continually worked across the aisle to work with both parties, cut spending and put Arkansas first."media: 20831188
quicklist: 8title: Andrew Cuomotext: Governor of New York is a job that runs in the Cuomo family. Andrew Cuomo, the current governor, is following the career path of his father, Mario Cuomo, who served as governor of the state for three terms, from 1983 to 1994.
This election year, the Committee Against Proposition 1, a proposition that would allow private casinos in the state of New York, even used the current governor's father's words against him, in a series of advertisements running on NY1 leading up to the election. The ads featured the elder Cuomo arguing against gambling when he was in office 20 years ago.
This prompted the current governor's camp to release a statement from his father, saying he had changed his mind on the issue, that a lot has happened since the 1990's when he held court in Albany.
Ultimately, the ads did not persuade enough voters to vote against Prop 1, and the measure strongly supported by the governor was approved.
Turning to 2014, Cuomo is positioned to score reelection with a large margin. The younger Cuomo has become New York's most successful governor, since the early days of his father's tenure in office. media: 18174101
quicklist: 9title: Jerry Brown text:The Brown family has a history of leadership in California.
Currently governor of California, Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr. not only shares his father's name, but his job. The elder Brown, Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, served as the Golden State's governor from 1959 to 1967.
This year, Gov. Jerry Brown became California's longest-serving governor, surpassing the previous record held by Republican Earl Warren. Brown is in his third term; he previously served two terms from 1975 to 1983.
If the younger Brown wins in 2014, he will serve an unprecedented four terms in office. California enacted a law that limited the number of terms a governor could serve in 1990 to two consecutive terms of four years, but since Brown previously served before the term limit was in place, his first time serving as the state's governor is exempt from the current term limit. Early polls show the current governor in the lead for reelection.media: 20831566
