Son of governor Lawton following dad's footsteps

TAMPA -- Forty years after his little-known father used a pair of boots to launch himself into political folklore, Lawton ``Bud'' Chiles III hopes to emulate the strategy during his independent run for governor by walking across Florida and connecting with voters.

The signature Chiles campaign tactic hasn't changed much, but Florida's political environment has. Retail politics is less effective. The electorate is more fragmented. Statewide candidates need vast sums to get their message in several major TV markets.

As Chiles, 57, grows older, he looks more and more like his father. He's trying to sound like him, as well, by focusing on cleaning up money in politics. The lifelong Democrat said that's the main reason he is running an independent campaign.

NEW APPROACH

Politicians ``are so busy paying off campaign contributions that they're not taking care of the basic needs of families,'' Chiles said during a campaign stop Friday in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood. ``Communities are getting weaker as a result of this political system.''

Dressed in a light blue button-down shirt, khakis and brown hiking shoes, Chiles walked with his son Geoff for about 1.5 miles through largely empty streets in Ybor. He met with about a dozen people over an hour.

Even political rivals note the similarities between Chiles and his father.

``He's Lawton writ small in more ways than one,'' said J.M. ``Mac'' Stipanovich, a Republican lobbyist who worked for former Gov. Bob Martinez. ``You've got the name and the walking strategy and the resemblance, but there's no originality. There's no innovation.''

`WALKING LAWTON'

Bud Chiles was in high school when his father literally walked his way into the U.S. Senate in 1970. The younger Chiles volunteered on ``Walkin' Lawton's'' campaign.

The walk -- from Century, on the Florida-Alabama border to John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo -- took about three months. Chiles walked between eight to 15 miles each day and slept in a Ford camper that accompanied him from town to town. He reaped a windfall of free publicity that enabled him to neutralize his rivals' advantage in fundraising.

The walk was such a phenomenal success that what has gotten obscured over time is that it was a long-shot gamble by an unknown candidate who was not given much chance of victory. The obscure state senator from Lakeland defeated Farris Bryant, a former governor and wealthy insurance executive in a runoff for the Democratic nomination.

Lawton Chiles' campaigned on the theme that big money and powerful interests had hijacked Florida politics, and that the voice of the common man was ignored. What began as a gimmick became instead central to Chiles' identity as a politician.

``It made a pretty big impact on me, more than just the blisters,'' Bud Chiles said. ``It carried through his political career, that idea of staying true to average guys and representing their interests.''

FAMOUS LAST NAME

If one recent poll is any indication, Chiles can turn his famous last name into votes. In a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, Chiles garnered 19 percent in a three-way race with likely Democratic nominee Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum.

The poll showed both major candidates losing support when Chiles was included. But there are caveats. The poll had a relatively high margin of error and it also showed that nearly 80 percent of people did not know enough about Chiles to form an opinion of him.

Several major Democrats worry that any support Chiles receives -- even if it's only 4 or 5 percent -- will come from likely Sink voters.

``He could be a spoiler along the lines of Ralph Nader,'' said Congresswoman Kathy Castor, D-Tampa. ``He could hurt the interests that he cares about.''

Chiles said he will disseminate commercials through online social media to groups focused on issues such as the environment and education.

``We now have really powerful tools that my father didn't have 40 years ago,'' he said.

TOUGH ROAD

But many observers simply don't see a path for victory. Of the walking campaign, longtime Bud Chiles confidant and Sink supporter Steve Uhlfelder said, ``When TV wasn't as important in 1970, it worked. People got most of their political information from newspapers. These days are different.''

Uhlfelder, who's know Chiles since their days as volunteers on the Edmund Muskie presidential campaign, said he tried to talk him out of getting in the race. He noted that the elder Chiles had legislative experience and a group of lawmakers who canvassed the state for him.

Uhlfelder described Chiles as an optimistic, religious family man -- who would have a better impact in private life. ``Unless you're independently wealthy or a great fundraiser, you can't win a race in Florida now.''

Staff writers Steve Bousquet and Adam C. Smith contributed to this story. Lee Logan can be reached at llogan@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263.

Son of late Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles may run against Sink