“If you met him in a group of powerful political figures and didn’t know who he was, you’d think he was probably a career electrician who ran a small residential construction company.”
Obviously your example is just meant to provide a point of comparison, but clearly, being a ‘powerful’ political figure does not require a ton of intellect. From those I’ve interacted with and known they are generally unimpressive people.
What I meant to say was ... If you ran into him in a group of prominent people from any walk of life (I used political figures because they would be known to you as a fellow guest) and didn't know why he was there, you'd never just assume that he must be the CEO of General Motors, a top neurosurgeon at NYU Medical Center, etc.