Business Groups Greet Selection With Hostility

Paul Kennedy, president of Kennedy Die Castings Inc., in Worcester, Mass., said the NAM, for instance, had become "slave to the agendas of companies that are very, very large."

"I have my biases, but if I was against every lawyer in the country because he went to law school, I couldn't vote for anyone, could I?" Kennedy asked.

Edwards's selection could complicate efforts by the Kerry campaign to reach out to business leaders, some campaign advisers conceded. But ultimately, Edwards will be a help, if only because the choice will convince businesses Kerry may just win, they said.

"There's an immediate sense that this ticket will win the whole election," said Roger Altman, a Wall Street investment banker and economic adviser to Kerry. "And that's relevant because the business community, like every other community, responds to winners."

Kneen, a Bush supporter, conceded the point: "The ticket is more of a threat to Republican Party with [Edwards] on it. It was a wise choice."

No one is suggesting Kerry will put a sizable dent in Bush's business support. Already, Bush's campaign contributions from business interests have significantly outpaced Kerry's, according to the non-partisan watchdog Political Moneyline.

Altman and another Wall Street financier, Stephen Rattner of the Quadrangle Group, have been leading a behind-the-scenes effort to woo just enough high-profile executives to the Kerry camp to demonstrate the Massachusetts senator's broad appeal. So far, they have had a few successes, winning the endorsements of Apple Computer Inc.'s Steve Jobs, investor Warren Buffett, and last month, former Chrysler chief Lee A. Iacocca.

Edwards would not derail that effort, organizers say. For one thing, his long track record of malpractice lawsuits, product-liability litigation, and catastrophic truck accident cases does not include the bane of many businesses' existence: massive class-action suits that have bankrupted whole industries.

For another, Edwards's charm will smooth over concerns about his trial-lawyer background, they predicted. The campaign hopes to bring Edwards to New York later this week for his first meetings with business leaders. Finally, Edwards is not Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), the protectionist firebrand whom business interests really feared Kerry would select.

Some business executives also questioned what some called "the party line" coming out of business associations in Washington, and suggested they would be far more discerning in their response. Gary Henderson, purchasing manager of Aircraft Precision Products Inc. in Ithaca, Mich., said he wanted far more specifics on Edwards's legal record before he agreed the North Carolinian was so bad for business.