Larry Felder, Candidate

When a successful Washington journalist hits his late 50s, he’s usually on a glide path to either more of the same or a quiet, comfortable retirement. Not Larry Felder. When an opportunity to run for Congress presents itself, Felder abandons his usual caution and his longtime career as a columnist and decides to run. Meanwhile, his campaign manager (a smitten young lady named Charlie) is running for something else—Felder’s heart. It doesn’t take long for sparks and complications to start flying. Larry Felder, Candidate is a close-up look at big-time newspaper and contemporary Washington-area politics. It captures a man who is ceaselessly loyal to his wife, an invalid, and who looks like a cinch to win a House seat until fate intervenes. It also spotlights a swaggering white-shoe lawyer, a beleaguered editor, a corrupt businessman and a congressional opponent who gets luckier than she ever thought she would. Bob Levey’s Larry Felder, Candidate is a searching snapshot of how difficult it can be to attain a lifelong dream—and to leave others behind.