M. Charles Bakst: A professor sees politics from other side

Jennifer Lawless, 30, is an assistant professor of political science at Brown University. Her colleague Darrell West says, "Students love her." On course evaluations, he says, they call her smart, knowledgeable and passionate.

But will voters love her? Will they even pay attention to her? Lawless seeks to topple Rep. Jim Langevin in a 2006 Democratic primary. I wouldn't give you 5 cents for her chances. But she's interesting to talk to.

You don't see many political scientists or other academics run for office. Lawless says the skill sets are totally different: "In academia, in a lot of ways, you're relegated to your own office. You have your own little fiefdom. You publish what you want. You focus on what you want."

In fact, she says, you can choose never to talk to voters at all. "When you're a candidate, you have to go out there. You have to meet people all the time. You have to talk to people all the time. It's not what you think is important, necessarily. It's working with people to understand what they identify as important problems."

Lawless has a doctorate from Stanford and has co-authored a book on why people don't run for office. (They doubt one person can change things.) She comes from upstate New York. Her father was a stockbroker, her mother is a housing authority executive director. The father is Catholic, the mother Jewish. Raised Jewish, Lawless says, "I'm not very religious right now."

Her parents taught her to tackle problems. "I remember, in the fourth or fifth grade, they were showing me how to write letters to the editor."

A course she teaches is Women in Politics. She says more women are needed in high office, that they've traditionally been "marginalized" in politics, not recruited, think they're not qualified, etc. She says women can bring fresh ideas. Only six women have ever won major office in Rhode Island, but that's hardly Lawless' biggest problem in taking on Langevin, with whom she differs on abortion (she's for choice, he's not), medical marijuana (she's for it, he's not), and other issues.

You might ask: What's with a political novice wanting to start in Congress? Even with their famous names, Sen. Lincoln Chafee and Rep. Patrick Kennedy started lower, in Warwick City Hall and the Rhode Island House, respectively. Langevin was a state rep and then secretary of state. You gain experience in these slots, and voters can size you up. But Lawless sniffs at "career politicians" who become "embedded" in the establishment and turn into "party insiders." Innovative thinking gets short shrift, she says. "We need a shock to the system."

It would be one mega shock if she were to beat Langevin. Major office incumbents rarely lose. If they do it's usually because of corruption, aloofness, or high-profile blunders, none of which applies to Langevin. Also, he has a riveting personal story and can outspend Lawless many times over. So how can Lawless hope to beat him? She insists that voters will come to know and to trust her and will peel away from Langevin when they learn more about his voting record. "We need candidates who are willing to challenge incumbents," she says. "That enhances debate. It improves deliberation, and it's what politics are supposed to be about. . . . I guess that I am idealistic enough to believe that voters care."

Perhaps you think Lawless is running in order to write a book. She smiles, "I've written a book. . . . Writing a book is a lot easier than running for Congress. If I just wanted to write another book, I wouldn't be doing this."