It might have made a nice Hollywood movie.

Consider the script, rooted in themes of redemption and renewal: A man watches his father fall short of his ultimate goal, his fortunes altered by changing political winds. The son goes on to live a life of accomplishment, but also suffers failures similar to those of the father. Finally, after vowing not to subject himself to the possibility of another failure before an unsympathetic public, an unexpected opportunity arises to fill the exact role that his father once sought. The public recognizes its mistakes and embraces the son. The circle is complete.

The son, of course, is Erksine Bowles — investment banker, former White House chief of staff, past UNC system president, twice-defeated U.S. Senate candidate, and not-to-be Democratic gubernatorial candidate. His father was Hargrove “Skipper” Bowles, who in 1972 became the first Democrat to lose a governor’s race in North Carolina since Reconstruction.

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