Next leap for 'hero' firemen: Congress?

Carol Maichin's face lights up when Joe Finley reaches out his hand to introduce himself at the South Bay Diner on the Sunrise Highway here on Long Island.

It's not often that a voter gets excited at being solicited by a politician, but Mr. Finley is no ordinary pol: He's a New York City fireman – a veteran of 9/11 – running for office for the first time.

Though Finley is still a long shot in his bid to unseat popular incumbent Steve Israel (D), his fireman status gives the novice Republican an edge other challengers could only dream of.

Yet it doesn't automatically mean he'll be trading in his rubber boots for wingtips and a desk in Congress. Ms. Maichin's response, in fact, is indicative of the challenges he still faces. "I've been very happy with what Steve Israel has done for the school district in Bayshore," says the pragmatic Republican voter. "But I would like to read more about Mr. Finley."

The final judgment of people like Maichin could help turn this into one of the fall's most compelling political races, in essence pitting the power of incumbency against the salience of heroism in a community still rocked by the terrorist attacks.

Indeed, from war heroes to astronauts to sports legends, people perceived to be heroic have always struck a positive chord in American politics. But their ultimate success is dependent on far more than their past achievements.

"We're very smitten with people who've made sacrifices and put themselves in harm's way," says John Hibbing, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska. "It's a good first step, but you also have to show you're not a one-trick pony, that you've got some substance there."

Right now, analysts give Congressman Israel the edge. Incumbents are overwhelmingly reelected – 99 percent of the time – on Long Island. But the race is still competitive, in part because Mr. Israel faces a second fireman challenger as well. John Keenan, another 9/11 veteran, is running on the Green Party ticket.

While both have to be careful not to be seen as exploiting their firemen status, it could help bring vital name recognition as well as more fundraising than the average challenger could muster. "Money is very important in these races," say James Thurber, a political scientist at American University in Washington. "It's unlikely that an incumbent will be beaten unless the nonincumbent has at least $1.5 million."

Finley is closemouthed about his fundraising so far. But it's clear he's hoping his previous job and working-class roots will help voters identify with him, giving the candidate mileage money can't buy.

The race is being run in New York's Second Congressional District, a predominantly blue-collar section of Long Island made up of tightly packed suburbs dotted with American flags and kids' bicycles. Most of the neighborhoods are older, built in the 1950s and 1960s, and crisscrossed by the highways built to carry commuters the one-hour drive to the city.

It's conservative country – at least by New York standards. But the Second is still a swing district, even though its lines were recently redrawn. It has deep Democratic roots: Both Bill Clinton and Al Gore won in the past two presidential races. But it's socially conservative.

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