Lowell Weicker, Jr.

Out of all the independent candidates in the running, former Connecticut governor Lowell Weicker, Jr. has the strongest political pedigree: 32 years in politics at the local, state and national level. As a Republican senator in the 1970s, he battled with his own party during Watergate, and introduced the first draft of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1988. His general distrust of partisan politics led him to break with the Republicans in 1989 to run for--and win--governorship of Connecticut as an independent in 1990.

After retiring in 1994, Weicker has sold himself as a centrist, speaking out on improving schools and health care. His name was one of many mentioned to take over the National AIDS Policy Office recently, and his track record as a successful independent politician has made him a possible candidate to run with Ross Perot's Independence Party. However, he's gone on record against Perot's call for a balanced-budget amendment, and if he doesn't see another credible independent candidate, Weicker may take the plunge.

The biggest question is whether Weicker can gain national recognition regardless of who he aligns himself with. He's portraying himself as the public do-gooder who's been assailed on all sides by proponents of politics-as-usual, but you know what they say about nice guys...

Internet Resources:

The Perot Periodical on Weicker

Hmmm... Now, why would this Perot page be interested in running an article on Weicker? Your guess is as good as ours, but in the meantime, the piece contains some history as well as some thinking-out-loud about the consequences of a Weicker candidacy.

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