Paul LePage’s personal history is pretty well known. He was one of 18 children in a dysfunctional family. Survived as a homeless child, age 11 and 12, on the streets of Lewiston until take in by two families. Repaid them by washing dishes for the one, lugging Pepsi cartons for the other. Learned English at age 13. Put himself through high school. Got into Husson with the help of Olympia Snowe’s first husband after being rejected by dozens of colleges because of his poor English. Graduated with honors after working his way through four years as a bar tender and short order cook. Moved on to get a Master’s degree in economics and finance. Then a successful career in the forest industries as a consultant and, finally, general manager of Marden’s.

Why is this personal history politically significant?

First of all, it makes Paul LePage interesting. The personal histories of his rivals can’t come close in that respect. And since most political candidates work off the same thin consultant’s playbook, they tend to look and sound boringly familiar.

Second, Paul’s story of triumph over adversity is convincing evidence of a strong and determined character. Eliot Cutler can tell a tale of great success as a government bureaucrat, Washington lawyer and investor. Libby Mitchell’s story is one of steady political achievement, Speaker of the House and Senate President. Their problem is that the American public is in the habit of doubting the character and integrity of bureaucrats, lawyers, investors and politicians. I’m not arguing the fairness or unfairness of these biases. This is just the way things are.

This long-standing skepticism is particularly intense in the year 2010. Think of highly successful politicians, and the governors of New York, New Jersey and Illinois spring to mind. Unfortunately they have all left office in disgrace. Generally speaking, anything and anyone with a Washington label attached is smelling pretty rank in the public’s nostrils just now. Voters with shrinking stock portfolios and shaky 401k nest eggs are likely pleased to get a bargain from Marden’s; less pleased to hear that one of the gubernatorial candidates has been doing very well in the stock market.

Third, Paul’s personal history is unusual but painfully real while, in the minds of many voters, “political” and “phony” are very nearly synonyms. Libby Mitchell is such a habitual and incurable politician that everything she says is hackneyed and predictable. Don’t rely on my opinion. Pay attention to what she says and see if you are able to detect a single statement, idea, or argument she makes that is not familiar and foreseeable. Cutler’s career has more variety and interest, but most people will find it difficult to relate a career in high finance, international trade, and Washington lawyering to any reality with which they are familiar.

Fourth, for most people political campaigning is a little strange. Not many of us are comfortable speaking in front of large crowds, greeting strangers, addressing the lenses of TV cameras, and lots of other thing that all candidates must do. We know that they aspire to power which we do not have and never will.

A fundamental principle preached by both Republican and Democratic political hacks is that a candidate must convince the voters that he is both like them and superior to them, i.e., that he both shares their concerns and knows what to do about them. There are not a lot of people who have mastered the kinds adversities that Paul has surmounted, but most people who have not been born wealthy, have an idea of what he had to face, and what it took to overcome them. His achievements seem real even though almost heroic. Cutler and Mitchell have records of success in spheres which are strange and remote to people who are neither lawyers nor politicians.

There are a lot of factors which will come into play in this campaign but Paul LePage has the advantage of a compelling personal story. The money advantage belongs to Cutler and Mitchell. It will be interesting to see the comparative effects.

Professor John Frary of Farmington, Maine is a former U.S. Congress candidate and retired history professor, a Board Member of Maine Taxpayers United and an associate editor of the International Military Encyclopedia, and can be reached at: jfrary8070@aol.com.