State: Nature Coast is 2002 election hot spot

Dennis Hastert, Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has come to check it out. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has named his favorite player. CNN is talking about airing a review.

The campaign for the state's 5th Congressional District seat has captured the spotlight because it has something most House races lack -- competition.

Incumbent Democrat Karen Thurman of Dunnellon, considered safe for a decade, now has more Republicans than Democrats in her district. She also faces her most formidable challenger in Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville, outgoing second-in-command of the Republican-dominated state Senate.

Further complicating the landscape, independents Jack Gargan and Brian Moore have jumped into the fray. Gargan, former chairman of the national Reform Party, gained 34 percent of the vote against Thurman in 1998. He is perhaps best known for his early '90s national effort to enact term limits.

Spring Hill activist Moore, who lost three bids for Washington, D.C. mayor, is considered less a factor.

Put them together, and this refuge for retired veterans -- where voting is considered a duty -- has become an election-year hot spot where control of the federal government could be affected.

"(Thurman) is one of the three or four most vulnerable incumbents," Washington, D.C.-based analyst Stuart Rothenberg said. "Nationally, we only have 38 races in very competitive categories. This is one of the 38. Everybody's watching it."

The campaign tactics

In many ways, the race is all about Thurman.

State Republicans targeted her for her role in the Democrats' highly partisan 1992 redistricting effort.

Though Brown-Waite promotes herself as a "proven leader," she spends much time criticizing Thurman votes. She is quick to cast Thurman as "liberal" and herself as the "conservative" choice.

A National Republican Congressional Committee ad for Brown-Waite urges voters to ask Thurman "why she's jeopardizing Social Security," and even offers Thurman's office phone number. No mention of Brown-Waite at all.

(Spokesman Brian Walsh said upcoming ads will highlight Brown-Waite's accomplishments.)

"She has turned her back on seniors while doing the bidding of her political bosses," Brown-Waite said recently of Thurman. "You might say her record is catching up with her."

Thurman all but ignores Brown-Waite and the independents, rarely rising to the attacks, and then only to defend her decisions. She sticks to the issues -- prescription drug reform, in particular -- and leaves her spokesman Steve Tankel to issue the few harsh words that come from her campaign.

Her fliers tout promises made and kept, offering specific votes as proof. Her TV ads feature seniors, many in military uniform, who smile and shout that "Karen Thurman!" protected their benefits.

"I'm standing on my record," Thurman explained. "I'm doing everything that I told the people of the 5th District I would do."

The independents, meanwhile, are left in the unenviable position of taking shots at the system they say lets Democrats and Republicans divvy up power, with wealthy interest groups reaping the benefits.

They, too, inevitably wind up talking about Thurman. Moore criticizes her support of a resolution that would allow President Bush to declare war on Iraq. Gargan chastises her support of wasteful spending programs.

The challengers' focus makes sense, if only to distinguish themselves, analysts said. Thurman, after all, has the bully pulpit that Congress in session provides. She offers strong constituent services, sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and hasn't been involved in scandal.

Her main problem, it seems, is the new district.

"Almost 50 percent is new to Karen Thurman," said Amy Walter, House editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. "It's not that the voters don't like her. It's that they don't know her."

Candidates hit the roads

With Thurman often in Washington, the challengers are doing their best to make inroads.

And there are a lot of roads to cover.

The new district covers all or part of eight counties in two major media markets, Tampa Bay and Orlando. Citrus and Hernando counties, and much of Pasco, account for 67 percent of all district voters.

On a regular day, Gargan said, he will hit a newspaper editorial board in the morning, maybe another 100 miles away at midday, a radio interview in the afternoon, and a forum at night.

Brown-Waite is even busier. She usually leaves home by 6 a.m., not returning until after 11 p.m., and averages an oil change per week. Her car, littered with files and brochures, almost doubles as an office.

Home for weekends, Thurman keeps her own hectic pace, bouncing from places she's known to where she's a stranger. Key to all is the Villages retirement community that spans northern Sumter and Lake counties.

"They both must appeal to the conservative element in Lake County," said state Rep. David Russell, whose district once included Lake. "The closer to the Villages you get, the more conservative. And they vote in droves."

At a chamber of commerce event there, Thurman was full of smiles and kind words, not beyond asking for support, and ever friendly. She introduced one lost-looking gentleman to some folks she knew, just to be sure he had someone to talk with.

"I've always liked her," said Joann Pitts, Sumter Youth Center executive director. "She doesn't mind answering any of our questions. When I send (information) up to her, I know she'll be there for us."

Brown-Waite also has hit the Villages frequently. And she hasn't shied from stumping in Thurman's back yard, to Thurman's core constituents.

Her visit to the Cottages of Gentle Breeze, an assisted living facility about a mile from Thurman's hometown, generated some favorable reviews. The residents she met said they vote absentee, and they were keenly interested in Brown-Waite's talk on how she would protect benefits for seniors and how she is not afraid to tackle tough issues.

"I think meeting somebody personally, you more or less can tell whether they're telling the truth or just giving you a line," said Marie Baty, 85. "I think she's great."

All agreed these contacts can make this race, which trackers have deemed a tossup.

The battle may be fought on the airwaves, but it will be won on the ground, Brown-Waite spokesman Walsh observed, quoting House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas.

Gathering the support

DeLay has helped raise money for Brown-Waite, as has Speaker Hastert. More high-ranking Republicans are expected to offer their support.

Gargan grabbed an endorsement from Minnesota Gov. Ventura, who recorded a message that will play in radio ads closer to election day.

Thurman was visited by House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi of California, but has said she believes the election is about her and the voters, not visitors who might forget they were here after they leave.

Both national parties have funneled money into the campaigns. National media watch events closely. When Brown-Waite's husband was nabbed last week for stealing Thurman signs, for instance, it was mentioned in the Washington Post.

Despite the target on her back, Thurman seems energized by the high-intensity, high-profile race.

"The way I look at this is, any time you put your name on the ballot with opposition, it's a campaign," she said. "I'm actually having fun."

Back to State news

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

Special Links

Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk