Walking the campaign trail in parents' shoes

Even before he opens his mouth, the resemblance is clear – particularly around the eyes.

"I'm Mark Pryor. You know me as Arkansas' attorney general," says the aspiring senator, speaking evenly at the camera as a fiddle plays softly in the background. "But I'm also my father's son."

It's a line that echoes across the campaign trail this season. Mr. Pryor, son of former Arkansas Sen. David Pryor (D), is one of a number of sons and daughters attempting to follow parents into political office – often, into the very same seats.

To name just a few: In Texas, the son of retiring House majority leader Dick Armey (R) is running in his father's district. In New York and Pennsylvania, the sons of former Govs. Mario Cuomo (D) and Bob Casey (D) are competing for governorships. Even Al Gore's oldest daughter, Karenna Gore Schiff, told CNN last week that she "wouldn't rule out" a run for office.

In some ways, political dynasties are the closest this country gets to royalty – and at a time when the current president is the son of a former president, the trend seems more prominent than ever.

These candidates' advantages are obvious: a brand name, and often, an inherited political organization and a network of contributors.

But there can be disadvantages, too.

Candidates sometimes seem diminished in the shadows of famous parents – as George W. Bush discovered early in 2000, when his father campaigned for him in New Hampshire and called him "this boy, this son of ours."

In last month's Texas primary, Scott Armey didn't win enough votes to avoid today's runoff election. And Rep. Ken Bentsen (D), nephew of former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, lost his bid for the Senate.

Most of the time, being the child of a popular politician is "worth one step up the ladder," says Stephen Hess, author of "America's Political Dynasties" and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "Then you've got to make it on your own."

Political dynasties are nothing new. Ever since the days of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, most states have had at least one family that's sent generations of politicians to Congress – the Frelinghuysens of New Jersey, for example, and the Longs of Louisiana.

Some families spill into multiple states, as the Kennedys have done from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to Maryland (where the latest contender, Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, is now running for governor).

Though there are no reliable statistics on dynasties, Mr. Hess says the number seems to have remained fairly constant over time. On the one hand, he points out, the trend toward smaller families has probably lowered the odds of getting "one [child] who will go into Daddy's business."

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