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Politics

2017 Will See Major Changes in the Florida Congressional Delegation

December 27, 2016 - 6:00am
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Charlie Crist and Mario Diaz-Balart
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Charlie Crist and Mario Diaz-Balart

The 115th Congress will launch in the new year and there will be major changes in the Florida delegation. 

There’s a host of first-time freshmen representing the Sunshine State with Republicans Matt Gaetz, Neal Dunn, John Rutherford, Brian Mast and Francis Rooney and Democrats Al Lawson, Stephanie Murphy, Darren Soto, Val Demings and Charlie Crist joining Congress. 

On the Republican side, Mast, a veteran who was disabled in combat, and Rooney, a high-powered GOP fundraiser who served as ambassador to the Holy See under President George W. Bush, will get their share of attention but Gaetz is an up-and-comer who is well positioned to serve decades in Congress if he so chooses. All of them will certainly try to present themselves as conservatives as the GOP majority looks forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump. 

Crist, as a former Republican who served as governor, will get most of the attention on the Democratic side but the other new backbenchers on that side of the aisle should get some notice. The Democrats would be wise to highlight Deming’s crime fighting credentials from her tenure as Orlando police chief. Soto is the most prominent politician from the expanding Puerto Rican population based in Central Florida. All of them will present themselves as moderates in the months to come. 

In the meantime, the returning members of the delegation will look to play a prominent role in shaping legislation. Despite coming from different sides of the aisle, Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democrat Ted Deutch have often worked together running the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, especially when it comes to supporting Israel. Look for that to continue in the new Congress. With Trump looking to get a major transportation bill through Congress, South Florida Republican Mario Diaz-Balart will play a prominent role as he continues to chair the Transportation and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Another Florida Republican to keep an eye on is Dennis Ross who serves as part of the GOP leadership and, as part of the Trump transition team, has solid ties to the incoming administration. 

Some members of the Florida delegation are already generating buzz for 2018 including Republicans Ron DeSantis and Tom Rooney. Both of them can be expected to spend much of 2017 trying to raise their profiles as they test the waters for possible runs for statewide office. With seats on the House Budget and Ways and Means Committees, Republican Vern Buchanan will continue to expand his influence on the Hill. While neither is likely to launch another bid to be House speaker, Republicans Ted Yoho and Dan Webster will look to ensure the GOP majority remains true to its conservative principles. While not the most high profile figures on the Hill, Republicans Bill Posey and Gus Bilirakis continue to remain major forces on key committees. As he heads into a second term, South Florida Republican Carlos Curbelo remains popular with leadership and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

On the other side of the aisle, as one of the new co-chairs of the Women’s Issues Caucus and as she climbs up the DCCC ladder, South Florida Democrat Lois Frankel will look to expand her role on the national stage. Despite crashing and burning as DNC chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz will remain a polarizing figure at the national level even as she looks tough to beat at home. Tampa Bay Democrat Kathy Castor should continue moving up the Democratic ranks, especially on the Budget Committee. Alcee Hastings will continue to rack up seniority as he moves to a quart of a century in Congress. Frederica Wilson has only been in Congress for six years but she has moved up the ranks and has become one of the most vocal figures in Washington to protest Boko Haram and in weighing in on Haitian issues. 

Even with more than a third of the delegation changing, Florida should be well served in the House. It comes with the territory of being the largest swing state in American politics as it can be expected to be a battleground once again in 2018 and 2020. 

 

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Comments

and a change in 2018 - Crist WILL run for governor. Bet on it.

Charlie Crist needs to go to rehab.... He's addicted to Gubmint Paychecks....And he'll do or say anything to get his fix,..... Can't believe Pinellas voted for this flip-flopping clown.....

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