Clinton Alumni Seeking Their Own Offices

They were young and eager in the 1990s, these midlevel functionaries, hotshot lawyers and one Cabinet secretary in his father's shadow, all inspired by the same boss: President Clinton. Today, Clinton administration alumni are taking their turn in the political spotlight while their former leader cheers from the sidelines.

``I am pleased and proud that so many of them have run or are running for office,'' the former president said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. ``Their dedication and enthusiasm are part of the reason why we were able to accomplish as much good as we did, and I believe those who win will continue to serve well.''

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One Clinton alumnus is Charlie King, a candidate for state attorney general. ``Bill Clinton represented the same sort of catalyst to my generation that JFK had to the generation before Clinton,'' King said. ``He reminded all of us that you can do great things through public service and do great things for the lives of others,'' King said.

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The Clinton class also includes:
-Kirsten Gillibrand, a former HUD lawyer under Andrew Cuomo. She is running for Congress in the New York's 20th District, which stretches north from Albany's suburbs.
-Sheldon Whitehouse, a former U.S. attorney. He is running for the U.S. Senate in Rhode Island.
-Tom Perez, a former deputy U.S. attorney. He is running for attorney general in Maryland.
-Bill Halter, Clinton's deputy Social Security commissioner. He advanced last month to Tuesday's Democratic runoff for the nomination for lieutenant governor in Arkansas.

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