Newswise — Teresa Heinz Kerry will grab the spotlight with her husband -- Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry -- at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Boston. That's a good thing, according to one of the nation's leading first lady expert, who believes the perceived "exotic" first lady candidate is "still somewhat of an unknown quantity."
Dr. Myra Gutin is a professor of communications at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., and author of the book The President's Partner: The First Lady in the 20th Century. Presently working on a biography of former first lady Barbara Bush, Gutin has taught a course on first ladies at Rider for some 20 years. She wishes she had a better sense of Ms. Heinz Kerry -- and maybe will after seeing her at the convention.
Gutin agrees that the Democratic candidate's wife is being viewed as "pretty exotic" -- having grown up in Mozambique, with a father who was a doctor. But she believes that she also seems fairly down to earth -- with some issues that may play as well in the "heartland" as they do with voters in the Northeast. "She's been involved in a number of issues people can relate to -- particularly education and health. I think that should play very well in the heartland," Gutin says. "They'll (people in the heartland) probably look at her as a little exotic."
If she would become first lady, Heinz Kerry would also be just the second foreign born first lady, according to Gutin -- with the other being Louisa Adams, who was born in London, England. "To the best of my knowledge, they would be the only two (foreign-born first ladies, should John Kerry get elected). She (Heinz Kerry) does have a slight accent," says Gutin. "She also speaks five languages and controls a couple billion dollars."
It also appears as if the senator's wife is settling into her role on the presidential campaign trail, according to Gutin.
"A few months ago, a reporter for The Dallas Morning News said that they had seen Teresa giving a speech in front of a large group, and then spoke to a small group, and they thought she was so much better with a small group -- being warmer, more animated and outgoing. I have the feeling that she's gotten more comfortable on the national stage since her husband has been running on the national campaign trail," she says, "Even though she's a veteran of senate campaigns with late Senator Heinz, they're nothing like a national presidential campaign. It magnifies any mistake -- like when she pulled John Edwards' son's finger out of his mouth during the first event between the Kerrys' and Edwards'. It's that kind of thing that gets all magnified and blown out of proportion. That's the reality of a national campaign. If there's one thing she's really got to watch, it's the propensity to be honest and shoot from the hip and fall in these places where you're part of the news cycle for a couple of days." As far as what kind of first lady she'd be, Gutin sees her closer to a Hillary Clinton than a Laura Bush.
"I know that she said that she didn't think it was fair that we thrust presidential spouses into categories, but I think she would be a very active first lady," Gutin says. "She comes from a background that's had her involved in a variety things with late Senator Heinz in the Senate, and now Kerry. She's also been involved with the Heinz Foundation. I would expect her to declare her area of interest and concern -- something she would pursue if she got to the White House. "Mrs. Bush is a shier person I think, and not likely to cross over in the area of public policy. I could see Mrs. Heinz Kerry possibly doing that, and she's more active."
Gutin also isn't sure that the Republican Party really knows what to do with Heinz Kerry. "She was married to a popular moderate Republican. So far, they've (the GOP) tried to restrain themselves a little bit. It's like the situation that she was OK when she was a Republican, but now she's a Democrat. How do you portrait her?," she says. "You can't damn her too much, unless you're ready to say that she's really gone over to 'the dark side.' There may be some risk in that." Regardless of how Heinz Kerry is portrayed, Gutin points out that first lady candidates only have minimal effect of the eventual outcome of a presidential election anyway.
"It's not like the entire decision (of the presidential election) is based on the potential first lady. It isn't. Does it have an effect? Of course it does," says Gutin. "We make some decisions based on the candidate's character, based on their spouse. But when people get in the voting booth, it's not about Laura Bush or Teresa Heinz Kerry."
Dick Jones Communications assists Rider with its public affairs work.
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