Politicians are different from most people because they are more persistent, or maybe they just have thicker skins. They do not take rejections easily, often hang in when told they are not wanted and can be harder to get rid of than a stray piece of sticky tape.
There are prime examples in two former Ontario cabinet ministers who won seats for the Conservatives in the federal election.
Jim Flaherty, also once deputy premier, tried first to get elected in the 1980s and could not even win a federal nomination, so he switched to run provincially in 1990 and ran a dismal third.
This should have been enough to discourage him, but Flaherty ran again in 1995 and won. He rose rapidly to finance minister and deputy to premier Mike Harris, whose far right views he shared.
When Harris retired, Flaherty ran to succeed him as leader. He lost to the more moderate Ernie Eves, who stripped him of both his prestigious posts.
Then Eves?s government was defeated and Flaherty lost trying to succeed him as leader, to John Tory, another moderate. He was reduced to merely an out-of-step opposition MPP and his days in power seemed over.
But the resilient Flaherty jumped at the chance to run for his federal party when its prospects seemed slim and his talent, including being best orator in the two leadership contests, and experience have put him firmly in Stephen Harper?s inner circle.
New Democrat Tony Martin, who won federally for the second time after losing his seat in the legislature, was the only MPP ever to resign as a well-paid deputy speaker, explaining this was a protest against Harris?s failing to help the poor.
Another New Democrat, David Christopherson, quit the legislature to run for mayor of Hamilton, where he said he could be more constructive. He lost, but has won two elections federally.
Conservative leader Tory failed in his first attempt to get elected, as mayor of Toronto, but has established himself in a much wider role as a credible rival to Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty.
Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar could not win a provincial Liberal nomination in 1999, but won an election four years later.
Conservative Elizabeth Witmer, among the steadiest Conservatives, could not come close to dislodging a sitting Liberal in 1987, but since has won four elections and been deputy premier.
Even premiers have not been immune from early rejections. Conservative Leslie Frost lost to a Liberal in his first try for the legislature in 1934, but won next time and became premier from 1949-61 and the unbeatable ?Old Man Ontario.?
George Drew failed in his attempt to win a legislature seat in 1937, when he was a loner at odds with the Conservative establishment, but went on to be premier from 1943 to 1948.
Why do they keep on running after rejections? They have in varying degrees a combination of believing they have something to offer the community, wanting to be important, refusing to take defeat personally... and a lot of pride.
Eric Dowd is a veteran member of the Queen?s Park press gallery.
