A field of four Republicans and one Democrat are looking to challenge Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor in Floridas 11th Congressional District. Stretching around most of Tampa Bay, including most of Tampa and parts of St. Petersburg and Bradenton, the district remains one of the more reliable Democratic districts in the state. Nevertheless, some Republicans are optimistic they will do better there come November.
First elected in 2006, Castor clearly has some advantages as she seeks a third term. She won her two races with 70 percent of the voters in the district backing her. The district also backed Barack Obama with 66 percent support over Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the 2008 general election.
Castor has also raised a good deal more than her Republican rivals -- more than $265,000 in individual contributions and more than $191,500 in PAC contributions, and she had more than $357,000 cash on hand at the end of the first quarter of 2010.
Mike Prendergast leads the Republican field so far due to a sizable financial advantage. His campaign has hauled in more than $105,000. He is also gaining attention from Republican leaders in Washington. The National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas, will be hosting a fundraiser for Prendergast on Saturday.
A retired army colonel, Prendergast also served as an aide to former U.S. Senator Bob Graham and as a legislative liaison in the Secretary of the Army's Office. Ive invested myself in a career of leadership, said Prendergast. I learned a great deal about the legislative process.
When asked what the cornerstone issues of his campaign were, Prendergast said, Its the jobs and the economy.
Prendergast has taken conservative stances on a number of issues, including immigration and backing a pledge from the Club for Growth to repeal the federal health-care legislation passed earlier this year. He is also calling for Washington to cut spending. We dont have the money, he said.
Architect Eddie Adams is back for another shot at Castor. Adams ran against Castor in 2006 and 2008 with little success, pulling 30 percent against her in 2006 and 29 percent in 2008. Adams has raised more than $33,606 and has contributed almost $7,400 out of his own pocket to his campaign.
Adams said things have changed in the 2010 election cycle. The entire world is different, said Adams, who believes there is more voter dissatisfaction with the increased spending of the federal government. This election cycle will be a whole different ballgame.
Adams agreed with political pundits that 2006 and 2008 were rough years for the Republicans and that 2010 would be a better one for the GOP. I have a lot of support from independents, said Adams. He added that Republican turnout would be better in the upcoming elections.
Adams is running as a conservative, pushing for smaller government, lower taxes (including the possibility of flat taxes) and opposition to abortion. His main issue is job creation and economic development. Adams maintained that his opponents are not tackling the issue of creating and keeping good paying jobs in Florida and called for more energy exploration.
We need to build a refinery that will not have an environmental impact, said Adams, noting that such a project could lead to billions for the economy and thousands of jobs. He said the port of Manatee would be an excellent location.
Tony Buntyn, a cyber security expert who rose to the rank of colonel in the air force reserves, is also running as a conservative, pushing for lower taxes, smaller government and a stronger defense. Buntyn has raised more than $9,100 in contributions and kicked in more than $4,800 of his own funds to the campaign.
I have the conservative ideas that will appeal to Republicans, independents and conservative Democrats, said Buntyn.
The number one issue is the economy, said Buntyn. While he said something needed to be done about health care, he opposed the legislation that was passed earlier in the year and said Congress should have been focusing on Americas economic problems.
Buntyn has been critical of Castors record, signaling out her ranking by National Journal as one of the 10 most liberal members of Congress, but he said he has no intentions of throwing mud at the incumbent.
Im just stating a fact, said Buntyn, who attends the same church as Castor does. I want nothing that will divide my church.
Tampa native Thomas Castellano, a local businessman, former president of the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce and Vietnam veteran, is also running for the Republican nomination. His campaign raised almost $5,300 at the end of the first quarter of 2010.
Hes a peoples candidate, said Ian OHara, a senior advisor to the Castellano campaign. OHara said that Castellano understood the needs of the district better than the rest of the field due to his experience as a small business man. Hes created jobs.
Besides job creation and fighting for smaller government, OHara said that Castellano was pro-life and the best candidate on the race for the environment. OHara added that Castellano was against drilling in offshore waters.
Castor also faces a challenge from within her own party. Tim Curtis, a businessman and former Marine, is offering a primary challenge to the congresswoman. Curtis did not announce until the last week of March and has not yet reported fundraising numbers.
"We're not living up to our constitutional responsibilities," said Curtis, who is calling for cutting federal spending and auditing the Federal Reserve. Curtis also opposed the health-care legislation.
"I'm absolutely convinced Congress would be more effective," said Curtis, "if they stopped trying to do everything."
Curtis said that the scandals and problems in federal government were bipartisan, with enough blame to go around to leaders of both parties.
Asked if he should be in another political party, Curtis said he was raised as a Democrat and remained one. "My principles and values have never changed," he said, noting that his political heroes included the founding fathers.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
