This week, a congressional staffer jumped into the increasingly crowded field battling for the Florida House seat currently held by Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, who faces term limits in 2014.
Tho Bishop, currently the deputy communications director for the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, filed paperwork earlier this week to enter the contest. As he still works for the congressional committee, Bishop told Sunshine State News on Wednesday that he would not speak to the media on the record. Three Floridians -- Republicans Bill Posey and Dennis Ross and Democrat Patrick Murphy -- currently serve on the committee.
Bishop joins three Republicans who entered the race in the first half of 2013: Panama City attorney and engineer Mark Anderson who teaches at Florida State; businesswoman Melissa Hagan who currently serves as Gulf Coast State Colleges director of development; and radio show host Brian Rust.Jamie Shepard, who had been the president of the Bay County League of Women Voters, entered the race at the end of last month as a Democrat.
While he currently works in Washington, Bishop has ties to the district. He was born in Panama City and spent most of his childhood in Bay County.
A source familiar with Bishops upcoming campaign told Sunshine State News that he is planning to leave his current position in the coming weeks and expects to kick off his campaign in September. The source said Bishops campaign themes will highlight the negative impact of the growth of the federal government and the importance of what Florida can do in response to it.
Bishop will also focus on education, making Florida more competitive by improving education and easing regulations, and helping the fishing industry. Bishop is also expected to highlight his experience with legislation and stress how it will help him fight for the district in Tallahassee.
As the growing Republican primary field shows, Bay County is a strong area for the GOP. Mitt Romney took 71 percent there in November and, while he was trounced across the state by Bill Nelson in the Senate race, Connie Mack pulled almost 61 percent in Bay County in 2012.
As of Wednesday afternoon, none of the four candidates who entered the race in the first half of 2013 have had their fundraising numbers for the second quarter released.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at 904-521-3722
