He's one of the Florida Legislature's most powerful Republicans, and one of its most partisan.
She's a well-known former TV anchor who praises the collegial style of the late Republican Sen. Jim King.
John Thrasher, Jim King's successor, took on the state's teachers union and cleaned house at the Republican Party of Florida.
Deborah Gianoulis tweets from Jacksonville Jaguars games and tweaks Thrasher for wielding a "hammer" of "top-down" leadership.
At the geographic heart of Senate District 8 is Jacksonville, but there's more to it than that. The district covers parts of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Flagler and Volusia counties -- in short, it stretches along the Atlantic and almost reaches south to Daytona Beach.
The fight for SD 8 might seem like a David-and-Goliath battle, pitting a well-connected lobbyist/lawyer against a political neophyte. Indeed, voter demographics and campaign cash appear to be stacked heavily for the incumbent.
Running for re-election in a district that has 46,000 more Republicans than Democrats, and having raised $414,898 in cash to Gianoulis' $94,749, Thrasher seems like the odds-on favorite.
As if those advantages weren't enough, Democrats face strong headwinds in this midterm election as Republican turnouts surge, fueled by a bad economy and tea party activism.
Still, Thrasher isn't taking Gianoulis lightly. Nor should he.
The former House speaker and current RPOF chairman won a special election to fill King's SD 8 seat in 2009. Gianoulis has lived in the district for 34 years, and she is a household name there -- even if that name is tricky to pronounce (Gee-a-NO-lis).
"People know me. They've known me unscripted for years," the former TV newswoman says.
What's more, Gianoulis calls the Jacksonville-area Senate district "a moderate Republican district," declaring, "I'm a moderate Democrat.
"The district was drawn for Jim King, and his greatest threat was from the right. I will bring the reach-across-the-aisle approach that he demonstrated," she says.
Thrasher -- who describes himself as a "fiscally conservative, pro-life Republican" -- will challenge Gianoulis' "moderate" position by bringing up the federal health-care law, the federal response to Arizona's immigration enforcement and the fate of the Bush tax cuts due to expire at year's end.
He is convinced that "Democrats will pay a price" on those issues this fall.
"A lot of what's going on in Washington has a direct impact on this state and has to be answered," Thrasher says.
Gianoulis calls Florida's lawsuit over the health-care law "frivolous"; she blames Republicans for failing to enact immigration "reform," and she acknowledges that "working families need help," without getting into specifics.
Kenneth Quinnell, executive director of the liberal Florida Progressive Coalition, says Gianoulis can withstand the GOP onslaught "if she can raise the money."
In disposing of primary opponent, Dr. Charles Perniciaro, Thrasher's cash on hand dwindled to $58,817, according to his Aug. 18 campaign finance report.
Gianoulis, who had no primary opposition, reported $83,972 cash on hand. She also received nearly $50,000 worth of in-kind support from the state Democratic Party in the form of campaign staff and organization.
Thrasher obviously has his own party pipeline, and he has much deeper pockets. His years as a lobbyist give him access to corporate PAC and 527 funds -- which are contributing more freely to Republicans this year.
"By end of the day, we'll be OK," he says.
After leaving her TV news job in 2004, Gianoulis became chair of Save Duval Schools, a nonprofit advocacy group, in 2009. Like Perniciaro did in the GOP primary, she will go after Thrasher's sponsorship of Senate Bill 6, the controversial teacher pay and tenure bill that was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist last session.
"SB 6 represents a difference in style of leadership. (Thrasher) was determined to push the bill through, regardless of the fact that teachers, parents, school boards and superintendents opposed it.
"I want to bring all those parties together," said Gianoulis, who has been endorsed by the Florida Education Association.
Thrasher takes such criticism in stride. The veteran lawmaker has been targeted by trial lawyers, unions and assorted other Democratic Party allies in virtually every election he's been in -- and he has emerged victorious.
Gianoulis calculates that she can get traction in the district, noting that Perniciaro, a newly registered Republican, garnered 41 percent of the primary vote in Duval County, the largest swath of SD 8.
While admitting that any Democrat's path to victory is a steep uphill climb in a district that hasn't elected a Democrat in a generation, Gianoulis believes she's closer to being King's political heir.
"Jim King got Republicans mad at him. I'll have Democrats mad at me," she said.
As for Thrasher's prospects, Republican consultant Rick Wilson says, "(Thrasher) has as much chance of losing this race as he has of being hit on the head by a meteorite."
Indeed, Thrasher, as RPOF chairman, figures Republicans are in a position to pad their Senate majority by a seat or two this November. In any event, he doesn't plan to lose his.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 801-5341.
