Kyc: 5th Congressional District

In one of few competitive congressional races across the country, Karen Thurman and Ginny Brown-Waite lock horns, with three others complicating the field.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 31, 2002

As part of its redistricting effort, the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature redrew the 5th congressional district to benefit a GOP candidate.

Out of the district came heavily Democratic areas of Alachua County; in came Republican-leaning portions of Lake, Polk and Sumter counties. Some Republicans called it a payback to incumbent U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman, a Democrat from Dunnellon.

"Ten years ago, Karen Thurman was in the state Senate, and she drew herself a district and has been in it ever since," said Towson Fraser, spokesman for the Republican Party of Florida. "That district is now redrawn. ... It's now even."

Leading the Republican charge against Thurman is outgoing state Sen. Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville, who was the Senate's second-in-command for the past two years. With a strong base and a successful legislative record to tout, she's perhaps the most formidable challenger Thurman has ever faced.

The presence of two no-party candidates -- Jack Gargan of Cedar Key and Brian Moore of Spring Hill -- and write-in candidate David Werder of Spring Hill offers a twist that could complicate matters. With no Republican in the race, Gargan won 34 percent of the vote against Thurman in 1998.

The result, analysts say, is one of only a handful of competitive congressional races across the country. The contest has drawn the attention and resources of both national party campaign committees.

The two major-party candidates stake out similar issues -- those important to veterans and seniors -- but disagree on the best ways to achieve success.

Thurman says the most important issues facing Congress, after fighting terrorism, are improving veterans' benefits, enhancing prescription drug benefits for the elderly and preserving Social Security, plus better regulation of publicly listed corporations.

"I think we've made some good improvements over the last 10 years to the quality of life," Thurman said, touting her record. "We have always kept our eye on the ball as to the issues that are important to the local areas."

Thurman supported the Patriot Act and backed a bipartisan resolution authorizing military force against Iraq. She supports abortion rights. Her main push in recent months has been for a Democratic effort to reduce prescription drug costs.

Thurman has called Brown-Waite's economic proposals "irresponsible" and said Republicans are driving the nation back into deficit spending.

Brown-Waite has attempted to cast Thurman as a liberal Democrat, in lock step with House Democratic leaders. She positions herself as an "independent member of the majority party," willing to ask questions but also ready to support the president on important issues.

She wants to expedite President Bush's tax cut program, which would phase out capital gains taxes and permanently repeal the estate tax and the marriage penalty tax. She also opposes privatization of Social Security, but wants to see the trust fund better invested to increase the return yield.

Brown-Waite calls for reduced prescription costs as well, but criticizes the proposal that Thurman promotes. She has voted against partial-term abortion, but hesitates to call herself anti-abortion, instead saying she is in a "state of flux" on the issue.

The main plank of Gargan's platform is to scale back what he considers wasteful federal spending. To effect change, he wants to tie congressional pensions to Social Security benefits. He is considered more conservative than Brown-Waite.

Moore said he thinks the race is not about issues but the system's integrity. Too many members of Congress are tied to special interests, he said, when they should be open to hearing the merits of each issue. He is considered more liberal than Thurman.

THE JOB

The 5th congressional district includes all of Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties, central and eastern Pasco County, and all or part of four other counties. U.S. representatives serve two-year terms and are paid $150,000 annually.

REPUBLICAN

VIRGINIA "GINNY" BROWN-WAITE, 59, of Brooksville was elected to the Florida Senate in 1992 and was president pro tempore the last two years. She headed the Senate Natural Res

Brown-Waite

ources Committee and the Select Committee on Public Security and Crisis Management, and was on the Subcommittee on Congressional Apportionment and Redistricting. Brown-Waite also has worked as a consultant and taught courses at Springfield (Mass.) College in Tampa. Before entering the Senate, Brown-Waite was a Hernando County commissioner. She worked as a legislative assistant in New York state. Brown-Waite has a master's degree in public administration from Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y. Once divorced, Brown-Waite is married and has three adult children. ASSETS: home, rental properties, automobiles, bank accounts, bonds, deferred insurance plan, retirement accounts LIABILITIES: mortgages SOURCES OF INCOME: legislative salary, consultant pay, pension from New York state, rent, investment income WEB SITE: www.brown-waitecongress.com

DEMOCRAT

Thurman

KAREN THURMAN, 51, of Dunnellon was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. She is on the Ways and Means Committee, which writes federal tax law and oversees Medicare, Social Security, welfare and trade. Before entering Congress, Thurman served in the Florida Senate for 10 years and was a Dunnellon City Council member for seven years before that. She is a middle school math teacher by trade, on a leave of absence from the Marion County School Board since 1982. Thurman has a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Florida. She is married and has two adult children. ASSETS: rental property, deferred insurance plan, investments LIABILITIES: mortgage on rental property, revolving charge account SOURCES OF INCOME: congressional salary, investment income, rent WEB SITE: www.karencares.org

NO PARTY

Gargan

JACK GARGAN, 72, of Cedar Key has been a political activist for the past 12 years. He formed Throw the Hypocritical Rascals Out, a national anti-incumbent movement, in 1990 and helped draft Ross Perot to run for president in 1992. He ran against incumbent Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles in the 1994 Democratic primary, and ran as a Reform Party candidate against U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman in 1998. In 1999-2000, he won and lost the national Reform Party chairmanship amid the party's battle over who would be its presidential candidate. Gargan is a retired financial planner. He served in the Army and Navy and graduated from Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.) with a degree in business administration. He is divorced and has four children. ASSETS: properties, stocks, retirement accounts, insurance policies LIABILITIES: none SOURCES OF INCOME: insurance, investment income WEB SITE: www.jackgargan.com

NO PARTY

Moore

BRIAN MOORE, 59, of Spring Hill was elected vice chairman of the Reform Party of Florida in 2001. Because he held that political party office, the Spring Hill Civic Association voided his election as its president in early 2002. He is vice president of the Hernando County Good Government League, a watchdog organization. He ran three times unsuccessfully for Washington, D.C., mayor in the 1980s and 1990s before moving to Florida about two years ago. He is a former health care executive and currently runs his own executive recruitment firm, specializing in health fields. Moore has a master's degree in public administration from Arizona State University. He is single. ASSETS: retirement account LIABILITIES: revolving line of credit SOURCE OF INCOME: salary WEB SITE: www.Moore-for-Congress.com