A major Republican challenger is considering a run against U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla., expected to be a top target for the GOP in 2016.
Pete Williams, who lost to longtime State Attorney Willie Meggs by a very narrow margin in 2012, is considering challenging Graham in 2016, sources close to the Leon County Republican tell Sunshine State News. Williams is a prominent figure in Tallahassee, having served as inspector general at both the Florida Department of Education, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Agency for Health Care Administration and having been named as a statewide prosecutor by then-Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist from 2003 until 2007. Before that, Williams was the director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobaccoand worked as an assistant attorney general for economic crimes and traffic homicides.
Williams lost to Meggs 51 percent to 49 percent in 2012 and had been considering a rematch in 2016. The possible candidate is a fourth-generation resident of the area and attended Yale before earning an MBA at Stanford and going to law school at the University of Florida. Williams has been active in the Tallahassee community for more than a decade including coaching youth sports.
Sources tell Sunshine State News that Williams has been working with consultants in both Washington, D.C., and in Florida as he explores a challenge to Graham. Staff from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which has been consistently going after Graham in preparation for the 2016 cycle, have met with Williams as he ponders entering the race.
Despite 2014 being a good year for Republicans across the nation, Graham swam against the national tide, beating then-U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., by less than 3,000 votes, making her one of only two Democrats to defeat incumbent congressional Republicans in November. But Williams and his advisers note that Leon County saw higher turnout as state employees came out to vote against Gov. Rick Scott, boosting Graham. Noting Williams did far better in Leon and Gadsden counties against Meggs than Republican presidential candidate former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., and Southerland did in 2012, his advisers say he will be able to make inroads where Graham is strongest while still holding the GOP base in Bay County and the more rural parts of the district where they expect turnout to be higher than it was in 2014 due to the presidential election.
Despite being a freshman in the House minority, Graham, the daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., has garnered more than her share of national attention. Graham garnered some speculation as a possible future candidate for statewide office even before she took her congressional seat. Fulfilling a promise she made on the campaign trail, Graham voted against U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to lead her party in the House.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
