Dec. 4, 2006 — -- They may disagree on policies and programs but Sens. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind., along with Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., have one thing in common -- politics is in their blood.
And come 2008 -- while these potential presidential contenders offer different interpretations of what the Founding Fathers intended for the country -- Dodd, Bayh and Romney share family histories from the campaigns of their own fathers who all sought to pursue the highest offices in the country.
Romney, son of former Michigan Gov. George Romney, described time spent on his mother's Senate campaign, his father's three gubernatorial campaigns and 1968 presidential run as "an extraordinary learning experience for all of us," in a discussion on C-SPAN's "Q&A Program" earlier this year.
Known as an advocate of public service, the senior Romney was elected governor of Michigan three times -- from 1963 to 1969 -- and lost the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 to Richard Nixon.
During the 1968 race, a young Mitt Romney was in France serving the Mormon church and not active in his father's presidential campaign, though he received long letters from his father about running for office while he was abroad.
He and his wife, Ann, stayed in Massachusetts after he graduated from Harvard because he had a job offer there and they liked the area, a decision Romney said proves his political existence was somewhat unplanned.
"Had I known I was ever going to get into politics, I think someone would have told me: Don't stay in Massachusetts, the most Democratic state in America. Go back home to Michigan, where your dad's name is golden," Romney said.
While Romney's Mormon faith could become a substantial hurdle among religious conservatives in securing the Republican presidential nomination, he stands to the right of Sen. John McCain of Arizona on immigration and health care. Additionally, Romney's health care initiatives, passed this year in Massachusetts, appeal to moderates and independents.
Chris Dodd and his dad, former Sen. Thomas Dodd, D-Conn., are Connecticut's first father and son to have been elected to the U.S. Senate.
Before his two Senate terms, the senior Dodd served as one of the lead prosecutors during the Nuremberg war crime tribunals in 1945. As a Connecticut senator, Thomas Dodd's most notable causes were gun control, civil rights and opposition to Soviet communism. In 1970, he ran for his third Senate term as an independent and lost; his son, Chris, managed the campaign.
In a recent speech, Dodd related his father's experiences at the Nuremberg tribunals to the country's current debate over national security, asking, "Why not just give in to vengeance?" and answering his own question, "Because America stands for something more."
"What people like my father understood and what Dr. Martin Luther] King knew so well, that America's ability to bring about a world of peace and justice was rooted not only in our military might but also in our moral authority," Dodd told an audience at Howard University's School of Business.
If he decides to join the race to become the Democratic candidate for president in 2008, Dodd would be one of 11 people seeking the nomination -- and party dollars -- in a field in which New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is considered the front-runner.
Considered as a vice presidential running mate for both Vice President Al Gore in 2000 and Sen. John Kerry in 2004, Bayh is a well-known face with a well-known name in national politics. Bayh announced to George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" that he would soon be forming a presidential exploratory committee and making a decision about a 2008 run after the holidays.
His father, former Sen. Birch Bayh, was elected to the Senate in 1962 and served till 1981.
Late in 1975, the senior Bayh announced his candidacy for the 1976 presidential race and was largely considered the favorite in a field of 12 candidates, though his late start in the race ultimately put him at a financial disadvantage. Bayh ran for re-election to the Senate in 1980 but was defeated by future Vice President Dan Quayle in a Republican landslide.
Both Bayhs were a powerful political force in the Midwest during the 2006 midterm election.
Following a postelection press conference called by Evan Bayh on Capitol Hill to tout the three Indiana Democrats who knocked off GOP incumbents in district House races, Rep.-elect Joe Donnelly credited not only Evan Bayh but also his father with campaign efforts that pushed him over the top.
In an initial field of two dozen potential candidates, it would be difficult to find someone without close ties to another campaign.
Environmental crusader and potential Democratic candidate Gore also has experience on the campaign trail: aside from his own congressional, vice presidential and presidential runs, he is the son of former Sen. Albert Gore Sr., D-Tenn.
While for those male candidates the political connection is paternal, the only female favored by odds makers married into the trade.
Hillary Clinton, widely considered the likely Democratic nominee, was a tireless campaigner for her husband throughout his political life.
