She was his third wife; he was 51 and she was 25 and an aerobics instructor when they married. She was also very blonde and pro-choice when she took Sonny's place in Congress after his death in January 1998. The Republicans took care of both her appearance and political views in short order, and soon thereafter she was a pro-life brunette. I imagine the years she has spent on the Hill living in the GOP bubble have hardened any youthful idealism she may have had.

I lived in Palm Springs when she first ran for her husband's office, and my favorite LTTE in the "Desert Sun" was from a woman who said, "We should vote for Mary because she needs to have work to raise her two children." I would think the widow of a multi-millionaire musician and businessman wouldn't have finding a job as her first priority.