Political Families in the US

In this election, there have been growing feelings of dislike towards the “establishment” and career politicians, especially those from wealthy, politically involved families. Despite the seemingly recent appearance of this, political families are not a new thing in American politics. They date back to the founding fathers; John Adams, second president of the US, was father to the sixth, John Quincy Adams. Other notable families include the Harrisons (William Henry and Benjamin were both president, although WHH died extremely early on in his term), the Roosevelts, and of course the Kennedys.

John Adams

John Quincy Adams

Back in the modern day, politicians like Hillary Clinton and Jeb! Bush are both considered to be part of political “dynasties” and that may hurt their chances at getting elected. Being related to other politicians may make it harder for a candidate to distinguish themselves from their predecessors, as Jeb struggled to do when asked about how he was different from his brother, especially about Iraq. In January, while Jeb was still in the race, he and Clinton had higher unfavorability ratings than Kasich, Cruz and Sanders, although lower than Trump. 

However, being part of a political family may actually be a benefit for candidates. It gives them name recognition, which is important in elections. Growing up in a family involved in politics also may help candidates gain connections, resources, and funding. This can help them, making it easier for candidates from political families to get elected. 

Sources

http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/hillary-clinton-favorable-rating and the other candiates from the same poll aggregate

http://www.winningcampaigns.org/Winning-Campaigns-Archive-Articles/Never-Underestimate-The-Value-of-Name-Recognition.html  

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-08-03-1Adynasties03_CV_N.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/opinion/sunday/seth-stephens-davidowitz-just-how-nepotistic-are-we.html  

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-dynasties-idUSN0332238720070304

Images: 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/US_Navy_031029-N-6236G-001_A_painting_of_President_John_Adams_(1735-1826),_2nd_president_of_the_United_States,_by_Asher_B._Durand_(1767-1845)-crop.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/John_Quincy_Adams_by_George_Caleb_Bingham_(detail),_c._1850_after_1844_original_-_DSC03235.JPG