Do CEOs make good politicians? The track record is mixed. Here's a scorecard of recent bosses who made the leap into politics.

This year's race for governor of Michigan should have been tailor-made for Richard DeVos, the former CEO of Amway Corp., one of the state's biggest employers. After all, in Jennifer Granholm he faced an incumbent who had presided over a rise in Michigan's unemployment rate to 7.2 percent, by far the nation's worst.

But in an early-October televised debate, Granholm was able to score points against the erstwhile corporate chieftain by pointing out that DeVos as CEO actually had created thousands of low-paying jobs in China--while trimming jobs in Michigan.

Still, Michigan's pocketbook pain gave DeVos his chance to unseat Granholm. And in general, when CEOs become political candidates they tend to campaign naturally on their grasp of economic and financial issues.

Jack Davis brought his business expertise to bear in his campaigns for the House in New York State's 26th District, where the founder and owner of the I Squared R Element Co. lost as a Republican in 2004 and ran as a Democrat this year, largely on a trade-protectionist platform.

He also was plying his executive competence. "I know how to control budgets and get people to do what they need to do," Davis said. "As a chief executive, I've been selling myself for years." But typically, a CEO or former CEO still must offer something else as a candidate besides a managerial air and a strong corporate track record. Ideally, they should be able to deal comfortably with a variety of constituencies, ranging from clergy members to environmentalists. And they need to be able to engage confidently in cultural discourse, over issues such as abortion and immigration, as well as in money-speak.

"If your only experience was running a company as CEO, you'll find a rude awakening--because you won't have the life experiences to be a credible candidate," said Steve Grossman, CEO of his own marketing company, who ran unsuccessfully for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and served as chairman of the National Democratic Party under President Bill Clinton.

When CEOs win a race, however, then a different dynamic begins to apply: Governing is more like pushing a rope than cracking a whip. "Once you get in office, you have to start to build consensus, and CEOs get startled," Judith Glaser, executive coach and author of The DNA of Leadership, says.

"Many CEOs end up in cabinet posts such as commerce secretary instead of running for office. Still others began in politics, then ended up at a corporate helm," Glaser continues. "Some have done both, such as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, an Illinoisan who served four terms in the House, ending in 1969, and in 1977 became CEO of G.D. Searle."

But while CEOs quickly find out that "politics is a world unlike any other," they also "usually have a record of keeping their constituents happy because they know something about customer relations and communications," said Steve Katz, an advisor and counsel to four U.S. senators and one House member, and now a business consultant.

While they tend to push common levers with voters, however, CEOs' motivations for running for office are more diverse. Some simply relish the challenge of proving their leadership acumen in a completely different venue. Others, having made their mark in the business world and satisfied their life's ego needs, genuinely want to give back. Of course, such altruism is easier to express when you're one of the handfuls of billionaire CEOs who has run for office, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Forbes magazine scion Steve Forbes Jr. and H. Ross Perot, the computer entrepreneur and maverick presidential candidate in 1992.

Nevertheless, Amo Houghton still wonders why he's the only former CEO of a Fortune 500 company ever to be elected to the House. "That's one of the great sadnesses of the system," said the ex-chief of Corning.

Houghton is glad he ran. "I liked the people and the issues," he said. "But there was some dirty stuff that went on--just like business."

10 Who Traded Corner Offices for Office-Seeking

               Rudy
Name           Boschwitz     Michael Bloomberg   Herman Cain

Age            76            64                  60
Undergraduate  NYU School    Johns Hopkins       Purdue
  Degree       of Commerce,
               at 19
CEO of         Home Valu     Bloomberg LP,       Godfathers Pizza,
               (nee Plywood  New York, 1981-     Omaha, 1986-1996
               Minnesota),   2001
               Minneapolis,
               1963-1978
Party          Republican    Republican          Republican
Political      Elected in    Elected mayor of    Lost in 2004 Republican
  track        1978 and      New York in the     primary for U.S. senate
  record       1984 to U.S.  first post-9/11     from Georgia.
               Senate from   election and
               Minnesota.    re-elected in 2005
                             by biggest margin
                             ever for a
                             Republican.
Learned from   Margaret      Rudy Giuliani, his  Lincoln. "He wasn't a
               Thatcher. "I  predecessor, that   career politician when
               like people   moderation in all   he got into politics.
               who           things is the key   And he lost a lot
               understand    to governing        before he got elected."
               what they're  Gotham.
               for and
               stick with
               it."
Stakes         Less than     More than $73       An investment of more
               $50,000 in    million of his own  than $1 million of his
               his own       money, yet he's     own money in his
               campaign.     still the 34th-     campaign; loss as an
               "But I        richest American,   African-American
               didn't mind   according to        shining star was blow
               the money-    Forbes. And, for    to GOP.
               raising part  Bloomberg
               of it."       employees, concern
                             for whether the
                             distracted mayor
                             decides to sell
                             his company.
Chatter        "Bob Dole     Despite his         Reform of tax code and
               liked to say  denials about       Social Security tripped
               that, since   interest in 2008    his trigger. "I was
               I was born    presidential race,  sick and tired of
               abroad and    he or associates    politicians lying to
               couldn't run  apparently bought   people about the big
               for           up nearly all the   issues that we were
               president, I  relevant domain     supposed to be working
               was the only  names, including    on and telling them
               senator he    Bloomberg2008.com;  everything was OK--when
               could         he did something    it wasn't OK."
               trust."       similar before the
                             mayoral campaign
                             in 2000.

Name           Jon Corzine          Richard DeVos       Steve Grossman

Age            69                   50                  60
Undergraduate  Illinois             Northwood           Princeton
  Degree
CEO of         Goldman Sachs,       Alticor (nee        Grossman
               New York, 1994-1999  Amway), Grand       Marketing Group,
                                    Rapids, Mich.,      Somerville,
                                    1993-2002           Mass., 1975-
                                                        present
Party          Democrat             Republican          Democrat
Political      Won race for U.S.    Ran for governor    Lost in 2002
  track        senator from New     of Michigan this    Democratic
  record       Jersey in 2000,      year.               primary for
               then won for                             governor of
               governor of New                          Massachusetts.
               Jersey in 2005 and
               stepped down from
               the Senate.
Learned from   Putsch at Goldman    Bill Clinton:       Co-running the
               Sachs, which forced  "It's the economy,  losing 1988
               him out in 1999:     stupid"--           presidential
               that politics        especially in       campaign of
               wasn't any riskier   recession-torn      Michael Dukakis.
               than business.       Michigan.
Stakes         Massive: His         Spent more than     Spent more than
               personal spending    $10 million to      $1 million on
               of $62.8 million on  finance early TV-   his run.
               his Senate campaign  ad campaign alone.
               was the most in
               history, including
               more than $35
               million on the
               primary alone.
Chatter        May have taken to    Endorsement by Lee  "It's difficult
               heart the comment    Iacocca--former     for a Democrat
               by his ex-wife in    Chrysler CEO,       to run
               2005 that he "let    Statue of Liberty   successfully in
               his family down,     revitalizer, of     a primary
               and he'll probably   presidential        because of
               let New Jersey       timbre--provided a  voters'
               down, too"--an       key-shot of         suspicions that
               observation that     credibility.        their values and
               his opponent                             his values don't
               actually used in a                       line up."
               campaign ad.

Name           Amo Houghton              Ned Lamont

Age            80                        52
Undergraduate  Harvard                   Harvard
  Degree
CEO of         CEO of: Corning,          Lamont Digital Systems,
               Corning, New York, 1964-  Greenwich, Conn., 1984-present
               1983
Party          Republican                Democrat
Political      First won election to     Won race for selectman of
  track        House in 1987 and served  Greenwich, Conn., eight years
  record       through this year.        ago before beating incumbent
                                         Sen. Joseph Lieberman in
                                         September primary for U.S.
                                         senate from Connecticut. Faces
                                         Lieberman's independent bid in
                                         November.
Learned from   John Chaffee, moderate    Legacy of great grandfather
               Republican and late U.S.  Thomas Lamont, who was a
               senator from Rhode        partner in J.P. Morgan; and his
               Island.                   wife, Ann Greenlee Huntress, an
                                         aptly named venture capitalist.
Stakes         He spent relative pocket  A big chunk of his personal
               change on his campaign.   fortune of up to $332 million.
               "Most of it you get back
               from fundraisers and
               contributors."
Chatter        "I didn't run on any      MoveOn.org crowed about their
               particular principle.     success in "making" Lamont, but
               Most men of principle     they didn't count on
               are damn fools."          Lieberman's stubbornness.

Name           H. Ross Perot             Mitt Romney

Age            76                        59
Undergraduate  U.S. Naval Academy        Brigham Young University
  Degree
CEO of         EDS, Dallas, 1962-1986;   Bain Capital, Boston, Mass.,
               and Perot Systems,        (co-founder and managing
               Piano, Texas,             partner, 1984-1999)
               1988-2000
Party          Independent               Republican
Political      Candidate for president   Lost to Ted Kennedy in 1994
  track        in 1992 who at one early  race for U.S. senator from
  record       point led both Clinton    Mass., by Kennedy's slimmest
               and Bush in the polls,    victory margin ever; won
               then ran again in 1996    governorship in 2002 in part on
               against Clinton and Dole  strength of business record and
               and didn't do as well.    as organizer of 2002 Winter
                                         Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Learned from   His father, Gabriel Ross  Dad George Romney, former
               Perot, a legendarily sly  Michigan governor and failed
               cotton and horse trader   presidential candidate.
               in parts of Texas.
Stakes         Losses in race for        Campaign spent more than $7
               presidency represented    million on his race against
               modern zenith of          Kennedy, but his close loss
               American third-party      made him a national political
               movement.                 figure.
Chatter        His memorable warning     Having announced he won't seek
               that NAFTA's adoption     re-election as governor, he's
               would create a "giant     sniffing around possible
               sucking sound" from U.S.  presidential bid in 2008; but
               job losses to Mexico has  his Mormonism may be an issue
               taken its place as a      with the Christian Right.
               Hall of Fame
               presidential-campaign
               sound bite.