District 52 candidates pound the pavement

While challenger Chris Eaton diligently knocks on doors, incumbent Rep. Frank Farkas has come to the constituents by foot, mail and television.

By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 1, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- Chris Eaton is running the classic underdog campaign in his battle to unseat Rep. Frank Farkas.

This Democrat and founder of a company that works on humanitarian projects in South America has assembled dozens of volunteers who have canvassed thousands of houses in House District 52, which stretches from northeast St. Petersburg to parts of Largo and Clearwater. Short on campaign cash, Eaton hopes he has made up for it with scores of visits to candidate forums and neighborhood meetings, where he has questioned his opponent's stands on health care, the environment and schools, and insisted that Florida can do better.

The problem for Eaton is that Farkas, R-St. Petersburg, is running the classic campaign of a two-term legislator who fully intends to win re-election.

Farkas, a chiropractor who lost his first legislative race and won the last two, is not taking this contest lightly. Unlike some incumbents, Farkas has taken to the neighborhoods also, walking every precinct in District 52 and visiting thousands of voters with his own cadre of volunteers. He has sent voters at least four mailings and aired television commercials in the past few weeks. And he has done so by tapping into a campaign war chest that is more than eight times as large as Eaton's. Farkas raised $223,892 compared to $26,694 for Eaton, according to the latest reports.

Both men face a third candidate, Alison Lipscomb, a Libertarian who has raised no money and who says he expects to win 2 or 3 percent of the vote.

"We walked every precinct in the primary and in fact now we're going back," said Farkas, who added that he feels optimistic about the race.

"We feel like we've got the momentum," Eaton counters. "But we're going to keep working until 7 that night (on Election Day). You know, you're battling for every vote."

This race got off to a fiery start in the primary season, when Farkas faced Republican challenger Cary Burns. Burns blasted Farkas for introducing a bill that would have let insurance companies provide stripped-down policies that did not cover various procedures that are mandated now, including mammograms, treatments for HIV-related diseases and cleft palate procedures.

Farkas said his original bill was not designed to take insurance away from people. He called it a way of helping people who have no insurance whatsoever, on the theory that some coverage is better than none. As he pointed out, the bill was later amended and passed so that it does not allow insurance companies to stop covering the mammograms and other procedures.

The general election campaign has not featured the acrimony of the primary, but Eaton has kept up the criticism.

He says Farkas' original insurance bill shows he was willing to let some people do with stripped-down coverage. He also raps Farkas for voting to pump untreated wastewater underground, and for embracing the standardized FCAT as a way of determining school financing.

He says he'll vote for the constitutional amendment that would limit class sizes, fight for more school funding, conduct regular meetings with neighborhood leaders and work for a better state-backed prescription drug plan.

Farkas shakes his head at Eaton's comments, saying they're similar to Burns' criticisms. "Same tune, different singer," he said. Farkas added that "I'm running against a political opponent who changed his party three times."

Eaton said he changed from independent to Republican about the time he ran for City Council last year, and changed to Democrat later because he considers the party a better fit for his views, which he described as socially moderate and fiscally conservative.

Farkas said the health care bill that eventually passed the Legislature is the accomplishment of which he is the most proud, because it does allow insurance companies to offer low-cost policies -- without eliminating mammograms -- which he says is a step in the right direction.

He's proud of backing Gov. Jeb Bush 's school reforms, which he said are leading to greater accountability in schools, and of helping to increase the state's education funding in the Bush years.

He also said he's proud of pushing for the Silver Saver plan, a limited prescription drug plan created by the Legislature.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

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