NRCC MEMO: FLORIDA PRIMARY RESULTS
| TO: INTERESTED PARTIES FROM: NRCC POLITICAL AND NRCC COMMUNICATIONS DATE: AUGUST 25, 2010 SUBJECT: FLORIDA PRIMARY RESULTS Florida is the quintessential swing state, and 2010 is shaping up to be no different. With a hard-hit economy in the wake of big-government Democrat policies and a heavy senior population angry about the healthcare bill’s $500 billion in Medicare cuts, the Sunshine State is poised to swing back to Republicans. Florida will be hosting six competitive congressional races – with Republicans favored to hold their two open seats and Democrats struggling to defend four of their own. Challengers: FL-02 (Rep. Allen Boyd, D) After winning his primary by an unconvincing two-point margin, it’s clear that Allen Boyd faces the toughest race of his career this November. A so-called “Blue Dog,” Boyd has put himself in peril this Congress by voting for a failed stimulus, a job-killing cap & trade energy tax and flip-flopping on ObamaCare – leading directly to 700 job losses in Bay County. Boyd’s primary forced him to spend millions, and the cash-on-hand advantage he holds over the GOP nominee is no longer insurmountable. Steve Southerland, a funeral home company owner, emerged as the winner in this competitive primary and is set to provide a fierce challenge for Boyd this November. A descendant of a Florida pioneer family and a lifelong resident of Panama City, Southerland has devoted his career to the prosperity and growth of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Being an active entrepreneur and small-business owner, Southerland has created jobs for North Florida families. He is well-aware of the disastrous effects that excessive taxes and government waste can have on working families. Guided by strong family-oriented principles, Southerland and his wife are committed to a better future for all Floridians and have been driving forces in charities that expand educational opportunities and strengthen local healthcare. This November, Southerland is poised to unseat Boyd, an out-of-touch career politician who is more concerned with toeing his party line than serving the constituents he was elected to represent. History: Florida’s Second District is comprised of deeply conservative Gulf Coast counties; however, it covers most of Leon County, including the state capital of Tallahassee, which is more Democrat-leaning than the rest of the district. This district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+6. In 2004, George W. Bush received 54 percent of the vote in the Second District, and in 2008, John McCain received the same percentage, beating Barack Obama who received 45 percent. Geography: The Second District encompasses the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle. It is centered on Tallahassee and extends along the Gulf coast west to Destin and east to the Suwannee River. Part of the district includes the only part of Florida where the beach is still undeveloped, while the bustling city of Tallahassee boasts the largest population in the district. The district also runs north to the borders of Alabama and Georgia. FL-08 (Rep. Alan Grayson, D) Elected to his first term in 2008, Alan Grayson has made his name known through several outlandish statements and his extreme partisanship. From going as far as calling a lobbyist a “K Street whore” to likening the Republican Party to Nazi extremists, Grayson’s remarks have not only alienated Florida voters, but have made a mockery of the constituents he was elected to represent. His disconnect from voters doesn’t stop there: Grayson has supported every tax-and-spend piece of legislation his party boss Nancy Pelosi has pushed through Congress. He’s voted with his party over 98 percent of the time and has rubber-stamped a failed trillion-dollar stimulus, a job-killing national energy tax and a Medicare-cutting healthcare takeover. The result? Florida’s unemployment has gone from 7.7 percent to an unacceptably high rate of 11.5 percent in the last two years. In November, tonight’s Republican primary winner Daniel Webster will hold Grayson accountable for his actions. Webster began his career in the Florida House of Representatives, where he helped engineer the Republican takeover of 1996 – ending 122 years of Democrat control – and earning him the spot of House Republican Leader. As Speaker of the House, Webster led sweeping conservative reforms which earned him praise amongst his party and Florida families. After serving in the House, Webster was elected to the Florida Senate in 1998 where he served as Majority Leader. Webster is determined to get Florida’s economy back on track and get Florida families working again. A true statesman, Daniel Webster is ready to take on Alan Grayson for Florida’s Eighth Congressional District. History: Historically the district has Republican roots, but has only recently trended towards Democrats. The district elected both Democrat Alan Grayson and President Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic wave. Republican Governor Jeb Bush won the district in 2002 and Charlie Crist won in 2006. President George W. Bush won this district in 2004 with 55 percent of the vote. Geography: Florida’s Eighth Congressional District includes the southeast and southwest parts of Orlando and the surrounding Orange County suburbs. The majority of voters live in Orange County and the rest live in towns outside of the metro area such as Mount Dora and Umatilla in Lake County, Ocala in Marion County and a small portion of Osceola County. FL-22 (Rep. Ron Klein, D) Previously serving as a state senator, Ron Klein was elected to this South Florida swing district in one of the most expensive House races in 2006. This race drew national attention and top party leaders, as Klein narrowly beat Republican incumbent Clay Shaw in a hard-fought race by a 51-47 percent margin. But from day one, instead of representing his constituents, Klein has marched in lockstep with Speaker Pelosi, voting with her 97.8 percent of the time. Klein is sure to have a difficult time defending his votes for cap-and-trade and the government takeover of healthcare, highly unpopular in this senior-heavy district due to its devastating Medicare cuts. As a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, Republican Allen West brings a wealth of leadership experience to his bid for Congress in Florida’s 22nd District. Lt. Col. West served the United States in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as in Afghanistan as an advisor to the Afghan Army, where he trained Afghan officers to serve their country as proudly as he has served his. As a husband and father of two daughters, Allen is dedicated to fighting for their future and for a brighter future for Florida. According to April 2010 polling, Klein is trailing West by a two-point margin. Although West narrowly lost to Klein in 2008, with the political climate in favor of the GOP this year, he is sure to offer Klein a tough rematch in November. History: The 22nd District was represented by 13-term incumbent Republican Clay Shaw until Democrat Ron Klein won the seat in the Democrat wave year of 2006 by a narrow 51-47 percent margin. This district was ground zero for the 2000 Presidential recount controversy between Democratic nominee Al Gore and eventual winner George W. Bush. In 2008, Barack Obama won this D+1 district by a 52-48 percent margin, highlighting the tossup nature of this seat. Geography: Florida’s 22nd District stretches along the coastline from the upper portion of Broward County up to Palm Beach County and is rarely more than a few miles wide. The district is comprised of a series of barrier islands and beachfront communities on Florida’s Gold Coast. It includes the cities of Boca Raton, Palm Beach, Jupiter and Fort Lauderdale. FL-24 (Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D) It didn’t take long for freshman Democrat Suzanne Kosmas to prove her loyalty to her party bosses over her constituents, with a record of voting with Speaker Pelosi 93.4 percent of the time. Kosmas has supported such reckless policies as the failed $787 billion stimulus, cap-and-trade, and flip-flopping to support the final version of the Democrats’ takeover of healthcare. Kosmas will have a tough time defending her Medicare-cutting healthcare vote to this district’s high population of seniors. Kosmas also represents Kennedy Space Center, which is set to lose up to 9,000 jobs when the space shuttle shuts down. In more bad news for Kosmas, a recent poll conducted in Florida’s 24th District for the American Action Forum shows more voters view her unfavorably (39%) than favorably (36%), an ominous sign for any incumbent. Cook Political Report rates this seat as “Toss Up.” Republican state Rep. Sandy Adams emerged the winner from a closely-fought primary race and will face off against Kosmas in the general election. Adams, who is currently a member of the Florida House of Representatives, is widely known as a reliable fiscal conservative and expert on law enforcement issues. In a 2006 state legislature endorsement, the Orlando Sentinel praised “her ability to work across party lines.” She served in the Air Force before joining the Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s Department, where she served for 17 years until being elected to the state legislature in 2002. Adams’ first husband – also a law enforcement officer – died in the line of duty. As a supporter of smaller government with deep roots in the district, Adams will provide voters with a clear and appealing alternative to loyal big-government Democrat Suzanne Kosmas. History: The 24th District, which was created after the 2000 Census, has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+4. George W. Bush won with 55 percent of the vote in 2004 and John McCain won with 51 percent in 2008. Geography: Covering portions of Brevard, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties, Florida’s 24th District has about half its population centered in the Orlando area. The district covers nearly 80 miles of coastline, in addition to the main grounds of the NASA Space Center and part of Daytona Beach, where NASCAR is a big employer. Open Seat: FL-12 (Rep. Adam Putnam, R) Republican incumbent Adam Putnam announced in February 2009 that he would run for Florida Agriculture Commissioner, prompting former state Rep. Dennis Ross (R) to run for this open seat. Ross has a track record of success in public service. Since his election in 2000, Ross stood by free market principles and stood up to the members of both parties when asked to compromise his values. Ross has garnered the endorsements of local and state leaders including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, seven GOP members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, state Sen. Paula Dockery and four Polk County Commissioners. On the Democrat side, Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards is set to challenge Ross. Hoping to expand their gains in Florida, the DCCC quickly named Edwards to their “Red to Blue” program – the Democrats’ main “offensive program” for House races. While she has received an endorsement from the Blue Dog Coalition, Edwards has said she would have supported the Democrats’ unpopular healthcare takeover. History: Since the 12th District was created in 1963, it has been held by Republicans for all but eight years. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+6, both John McCain and George W. Bush carried this state during their presidential elections. Although Polk County still has more registered Democrats than Republicans, like most of the Deep South, the area now usually votes Republican. Geography: The 12th District is the heart of central Florida. Beginning east of Tampa, this district is filled with lakes and small-to-medium sized cities. The district has seen nearly a 20 percent growth in population over the past decade but still relies heavily on the agriculture industry. FL-25 (Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R) Since four-term Republican Mario Diaz-Balart announced earlier this year that he would run for his brother Lincoln Diaz-Balart’s newly open seat, this reliably Republican South Florida district also became open. Voter turnout tonight proves the advantage that Republicans will have in this district, as Republican House candidates received twice the number of votes as House Democrat candidates, despite the contested races being on the Democrat ticket. Tonight, the motivated Republican voters overwhelmingly chose David Rivera as their nominee. Republican candidate David Rivera began his career of public service in the 1990s at the U.S. Department of State. In 2002, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. Currently, Representative Rivera serves as the Chairman of the House Full Appropriations Committee, overseeing Florida’s budget in areas including education, healthcare, transportation, public safety and economic development. Rivera has also served as Director of National Political Affairs and Director of Hispanic Outreach for the Republican Party of Florida. Rivera, a Cuban-American, is fluent in Spanish and has held a Top-Secret National Security Clearance from the U.S. Government. In November, Rivera will face off against Democrat candidate Joe Garcia – one of President Obama’s right-hand men. After a failed attempt to unseat Republican Mario Diaz-Balart in 2008 in a Democrat wave, Obama handpicked Garcia to serve in the Department of Energy. Garcia already has Obama’s back and will be a loyal ally to him and Nancy Pelosi if elected. As a former Commissioner of the Florida Public Service Commission, Garcia raised electricity rates and voted to use taxpayer dollars to pay for utility companies’ ad campaigns. Just like the current Democratic majority, Garcia – who does not live in the district– is out-of-touch with the needs of middle-class families in Florida’s 25th Congressional District. History: Since 2002, Republican Mario Diaz-Balart has held this congressional seat. Florida’s 25th Congressional District has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+5. In 2004, George W. Bush won this district with 56 percent of the vote and in 2008 John McCain won with 50 percent of the vote. Geography: Florida’s 25th Congressional District covers a large portion of Southern Florida, including the areas of Miami-Dade, Collier and Monroe Counties. The districts spans west and across the Florida Everglades to Eastern Collier and is home to the Everglades National Park and the Big Cypress Natural Preserve.
The following are the unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary election in Florida. These results are UNOFFICIAL AND INCOMPLETE until certified by the Florida Secretary of State. *Denotes winner FL-02 (Boyd, D) GOP PRIMARY FL-08 (Grayson, D) FL-12 (Open, Putnam, R) GOP PRIMARY FL-22 (Klein, D) GOP PRIMARY FL-24 (Kosmas, D) GOP PRIMARY FL-25 (Open, Diaz-Balart, R) GOP PRIMARY ###
|