Early entries begin political races

TALLAHASSEE -- U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, a Jacksonville Republican whose new congressional district extends into eastern Leon County, was the first candidate to qualify Monday as Florida's 2002 political campaign formally began.

Crenshaw, a former state Senate president ending his freshman term in Washington, was among 16 U.S. House members who either paid $9,000 qualifying fees or submitted petitions containing about 2,100 signatures supporting their bids for another term.

Annalee Morris, a local Crenshaw supporter, was standing at the counter at the stroke of noon when qualifying opened.

Congressional candidates have until noon Friday to qualify for the Sept. 10 primaries and Nov. 5 general elections. A week of qualifying for local offices, legislative offices and the statewide campaigns, including governor and Cabinet races, begins next Monday.

Secretary of State Katherine Harris, seeking a congressional seat in a newly drawn district around Sarasota, and House Speaker Tom Feeney, who crafted a congressional district for himself in conservative areas near Orlando, also were among first-day qualifiers, both submitting voter petitions.

Another qualifier was state Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Miami Republican whose brother is already in Congress.

Tom McGurk, head of the Agency for Workforce Innovation, qualified by voter petition to challenge three-term Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Monticello. McGurk will leave the state agency on Friday to work full-time on his campaign in the 2nd District. Boyd was not among opening-day qualifiers.

Other incumbents qualifying on opening day for federal races were Reps. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville; Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala; John Mica, R-Winter Park; Ric Keller, R-Orlando; C.W. Bill Young, R-Largo; Jim Davis, D-Tampa; Adam Putnam, R-Bartow; Porter Goss, R-Fort Myers; Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami; Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton; Peter Deutsch, D-Hollywood; Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami; Clay Shaw, D-Fort Lauderdale; and Alcee Hastings, D-Fort Lauderdale.

Competition in the 22nd District in South Florida was the most crowded in the first hours of qualifying. Besides incumbent Shaw, Democrat Carol Roberts, a Palm Beach County commissioner; John Xuna, no party affiliation; and Stan Smilan, a write-in candidate, qualified.

Florida this year will have races in 25 congressional districts instead of 23 because of the state's population growth during the 1990s.

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