Outsider versus the establishment

Rock-the-Boat professor Paul Wellstone wasn't the choice of the Democratic establishment when he won in Minnesota in 1990.: University of Minnesota Photo

Despite an enormously favorable political climate for Democrats over the past couple of years, and the increasingly realistic specter of a Hillary presidency that's got many Republicans beginning to shiver with early waves of panic, the Democratic establishment, particularly in DC, still seems apprehensive about backing candidates who are more apt to venture outside the mainstream.

Democratic Senate candidate Steve Novick, a political novice, is perfectly happy being seen as the "outsider" candidate, taking on the establishment that thus far, has mostly lined up behind his opponent, House Speaker Jeff Merkley. Both candidates hope to unseat Republican Gordon Smith next year, who's facing arguably dicey reelection prospects.

"Steve has not been a traditional politician, this is his first run for elected office, and it's clear that voters are dissatisfied with politics as usual, and they elected Democrats to change the direction of the country, but they haven't seen the results they had hoped for," said Jake Weigler, Novick's spokesman.

And despite the fact that Merkley is essentially running a general election campaign, as if he's already won the nomination, Novick may find comfort in some past races in which underdog candidates have prevailed without broad support of their party.

For example, just last year in Connecticut, Ned Lamont, a wealthy, Harvard educated businessman, emerged from total obscurity to challenge Joe Lieberman in the primary, riding a wave of anti-war anger and frustration that carried him to victory in the primary, and forced Lieberman to continue his campaign as an independent.

Granted, Lamont ultimately lost by ten percentage points, after 80% of Republican voters in the state rejected the GOP candidate, and supported Lieberman instead.

When I spoke to Lamont Monday and asked him to reflect on the race, now over a year later, he described being met with resistance and skepticism from establishment Dems when he first joined the race.

"The national media and the national Democrats were very hesitant about our campaign - Chuck Schumer and company told me, ‘Don't rock the boat, we've got a safe Democratic seat here and we want to stay with the safest bet we can,'" Lamont said, adding that running as an outsider will get you hammered from all directions.

"I used to joke that I was the only candidate who was opposed by the AFL-CIO, the Chamber of Commerce, Bill Clinton, and Karl Rove. They all strongly lined up behind the incumbent," he said.

And looking back a bit further, in 1990, long-shot candidate Paul Wellstone in Minnesota, who aggressively challenged the Independent-Republican incumbent Rudy Boschwitz from the far left, stunned the establishment when he was elected with the help of some quirky political ads crafted by his Media Director, Bill Hillsman.

" I think it's clear that voters respond to candidates who are willing to take on conventional politics, and address the real change we need on a host of issues," Weigler said, adding that the current leadership in the Senate has offered little more than compromise and conciliation in areas such as Iraq, wire-tapping, and a variety of other issues.