The Return Of Michael Huffington

Banking and oil heir Michael Huffington, who waged a bitter 1994 campaign against Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is again considering a role in California politics.

The last time the 53-year-old Republican made headlines was in 1998, when he disclosed that he was bisexual.

At the Republican state convention over the weekend, Huffington grabbed the spotlight again, declaring that he is not through with politics.

Promoting tolerance within the Republican Party for diversity of race, ethnicity, and particularly sexual preference is at the top of his agenda, he said. His goal to help promote that: winning the office of mayor or governor.

“The reason I came out is to say, 'Hey, let's open the door to the last bastion of discrimination,”' Huffington said Saturday. “The party of Lincoln should be reaching out to blacks, Hispanics gays and so forth and so on.”

Among other things, GOP members should endorse federal hate-crimes legislation, he said.

However, Huffington's own experience in the California Legislature and in Congress taught him that a single lawmaker in such a large body can't make enough of a difference, he said. That's why he would only consider “executive” elected jobs: mayor or governor.

Huffington said he won't run against Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in 2002 because challenging an incumbent is too difficult. Currently, he isn't actively seeking any office, including that of Los Angeles mayor, which is up for grabs next year.

Asked whether California is ready for a gay or bisexual leader, Huffington said the state would eagerly embrace one “who'll tell the truth, who doesn't hold back.”

Huffington also stipulated that he would have to be drafted by Republicans to run.

“I'm not going to spend the money or the time away from my kids unless I don't expect this to happen but unless the Republican Party said, 'We need you,”' he said.

Huffington poured $27.5 million of his own money into the 1994 race against Feinstein, outspending her by 2-to-1 in what was then the nation's costliest Senate race. New Jersey businessman Jon Corzine surpassed that this year, spending $36.7 million about $34 million of his own money to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Huffington said he now spends his time investing in high-tech companies and helping build monasteries in Europe and the United States. He said he also enjoys a close relationship with his ex-wife, syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington. The pair were married for 11 years before they divorced in 1997.

Asked why he would want to re-enter politics after the acrimonious 1994 Senate race, Huffington said: “We only have so much life left. Before I do die, I want to do something good for people.”