Thursday, February 10, 2000
Marrying Miss America can't hurt Henry's political chances
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FRANKFORT — Love is in the State Capitol air. Frankfort's hottest couple — Miss America and Mr. Lieutenant Governor — made their wedding plans official Wednesday when they announced their engagement at an afternoon press conference.
What a couple of hopeless romantics. Just Heather Renee French, Steve Henry and the grumpy, cynical statehouse press corps. Why didn't the press-happy pair just hire a band and have the intimate affair catered?
Get used to seeing these two. Celebrity couples are always big news. Think John Y. Brown and Phyllis George — the first couple of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, when John Y. was governor and Phyllis built her profile.
Is another celebrity first couple of Kentucky the long-range plan of our newest Frankfort love birds?
The answer is a big fat “yes.”
Mr. Henry has already said he plans to run for governor in four years. What better way to get a lot of publicity that to latch on to Miss America?
We are not suggesting that Mr. Henry and Ms. French will wed just so they can move into the governor's mansion in a few years.
We are not that jaded — OK, we're close — and no one is so thirsty for raw power that they would actually get married for political expediency.
Would they?
Let's make a couple of quick comparisons.
John Y. was an eligible, rich, handsome, smart and older bachelor when he married Ms. George, who had also held the title of Miss America, on St. Patrick's Day in 1979.
Two months later, he won the Democratic primary and in November won the governor's race. Did being married to a former beauty queen help?
“Well,” one longtime legislative staffer put it Wednesday, “it sure didn't hurt. The whole celebrity thing was big in the race.”
Mr. Brown and Ms. George are, by the way, divorced. He was remarried last year to, of all things, another beauty queen. Go figure.
Now, let's look at Mr. Henry's situation.
Is he eligible? Are you kidding — he's played the field like Pokey Reese, even reportedly escorting the beautiful actress Bo Derek around the Kentucky Derby last year.
Rich? Yes. The financial disclosure forms that elected state officials are required to file indicate he's a millionaire and an active investor.
Handsome? He's no Brad Pitt, but he's not a bad-looking guy.
Smart? No doubt about this one. The guy is an orthopedic surgeon who has invented surgical procedures and devices.
Older? By 20 years or so.
In love? Definitely, the lieutenant governor says.
“We met about a year ago,” he recently said, “and just really hit it off. The whole thing has just kind of taken off.”
Ms. French isn't about to let politics stand in the way of being by her man. She even changed parties, from Republican to Democrat, after taking up with Mr. Henry.
She's shown some savvy about politics and the media, using her bully pulpit to lobby for more awareness about homeless veterans and other issues surrounding those who served in the armed forces.
In fact, just before the couple announced their pending nuptials — the wedding will take place in the fall after her reign as Miss America ends — Ms. French attended a State Capitol press conference to talk about more support for homeless vets in Kentucky.
The two seem to be genuinely in love and eager to walk down the aisle, and they aren't getting married just so they can be the next first couple.
But it can't hurt.
Patrick Crowley covers Kentucky politics for The Kentucky Enquirer. He can be reached at 578-5581, or (502) 875-7526 in Frankfort, or by e-mail at crowleys@cinci.infi.net.
