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Politics

Allen West Knocks Out Sheriff Crowder, Faces Patrick Murphy in November

August 14, 2012 - 6:00pm

Incumbent Congressman Allen West has handily won his partys nomination in the Republican primary in Floridas U.S. Congressional District 18.

By 9 p.m. on the coast, well-funded West had 74 percent of the vote to Martin County Sheriff Bob Crowder's 26 percent.

Crowder was widely considered a long shot for the nomination, after he alienated himself from much of his partys conservative base in 2010 when he endorsed Democrat Alex Sink in the 2010 Florida gubernatorial race.

The primary campaign was one of the states ugliest. Crowder repeatedly chided West for refusing to publicly debate him, and even accused him of rudeness in particular, of refusing to shake his hand at a recent joint appearance before the St. Lucie County Republican Executive Committee. Both the West campaign and committee members accused Crowder of lying, and a West spokesman defended the nominees refusal to debate Crowder by saying [t]here will be plenty of time to debate Democrats after the primary.

West, a founding member of the congressional Tea Party Caucus, commonly considered one of the legislative body's staunchest conservatives, will face off with Democrat environmental services executive Patrick Murphy in the Nov. 6 general election. West has criticized a political ad put out by the American Sunrise super-PAC, which is directed by Murphys father. The video depicts West punching a white woman, which West insists evokes racial prejudices. West is Florida's first black Republican congressman since Reconstruction.

Sink did not return Crowders 2010 cross-partisanship; she endorsed fellow Democrat Murphy in July.

Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.

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