The Independent Man

Lincoln Chafee's run for governor got another bit of national attention over the weekend with an Associated Press piece that touches on some of the pitfalls of an independent run for governor.

Lowell Weicker Jr., who left the GOP after clashing with party conservatives and became an independent governor of Connecticut offered this:

"You're out there on your own," said Weicker, who has retired to Virginia. "It's not easy, in other words, for just anybody to run as an independent. There's got to be a built-in constituency out there."

And from another independent who won his state's top office:

"It's sort of a circular Catch-22," said former Maine Gov. Angus King, an independent. "In order to get money, you need to convince people you're credible. In order to convince people you're credible, you need to show you can raise money."

Of course, Chafee has shown he can raise money. He's got a family fortune he can tap, too. And given his popularity as a senator, that "built-in constituency" thing shouldn't be much of a problem either.