Political Heirs Take Center Stage in a New Wave of Campaigns

Children of politicians are now running for office, drawing significant attention across the nation. The list includes former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter and retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s daughter, according to NBC News.

Maine’s crowded governor’s race alone features three candidates with well-known political last names: Democrat Angus King III, the son of independent Senator Angus King; Democrat Hannah Pingree, whose mother is Representative Chellie Pingree, D-Maine; and Republican Jonathan Bush, a nephew and cousin of the two Bush presidents.

In New Hampshire, Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of Jeanne Shaheen, is running for an open House seat. In California, Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy Pelosi, is campaigning for a state Senate seat. And in Georgia, Jim Kingston, the son of former Republican Representative Jack Kingston, is seeking his father’s former House district.

“I’m at the other end of my career,” Chellie Pingree told NBC News. “I’m closer to retirement, obviously, than the beginning. You get to a certain age, and your kids are grown up in their own careers.”

“Angus is probably in his last term in the Senate, and Jeanne is retiring,” she added. “So, it’s sort of natural that our children would be at the age to run for Congress.”

Asked whether she encouraged her daughter to run, Pingree said, “Oh, god, no!”

“She’s got her own political experiences, and this was a decision she had to make on her own with her family,” she noted.

Angus King III told the news outlet that he’s learned a lot from his father. “The advantage is you’ve had this example of integrity, of caring for the people of Maine in this deep way, this commitment to service and the perspective of how we get things done, how do we help the most people,” he said.

Doug Heye, a longtime Republican strategist and former Republican National Committee communications director, said there are pros and cons to having a family member in politics. “The benefit is, to some extent, voters already know what you’re getting. Name ID starts at a really high place — you don’t have to spend money building it, and you come into it with some advantageous fundraising relationships as well,” he told NBC.

“Hollywood loves a sequel. It’s a known commodity. It makes money. They know what they’re doing. But for every ‘Godfather Part II,’ there’s a ‘Hangover Part II.’”

He added, “you just don’t know — some of these candidates flame out.”