In his 11th hour election column, Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes offers these thoughts about athletes-turned-politicians:
Professional athletes sometimes make good candidates. Sometimes they don’t. Jack Kemp, the former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers, turned out to be a terrific candidate for a House seat from New York and an influential figure in changing national economic policy. On the other hand, there’s former wide receiver Lynn Swann of the Pittsburgh Steelers. His race this year, as a Republican, for governor of Pennsylvania has not gone well. But there’s also Democrat Heath Shuler, who failed as a quarterback for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints, but is favored to capture the House seat in North Carolina now held by Republican Charles Taylor. Shuler is not your average Democrat. Shuler is a bit of conservative who calls himself a born-again Christian and a pro-lifer. If he wins, it will be interesting to see if gets along with Nancy Pelosi.
