U.S. Congress, 9th Dist.: Bilirakis extends his winning streak

Early returns showed U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis coasting to an 11th term, leading more than 2-1 over Democratic challenger Chuck Kalogianis for Congress' 9th District seat.

"This is gratifying," said Bilirakis, celebrating with his family at an Oldsmar restaurant. "We were confident but we didn't take anything for granted."

Bilirakis received 65 percent of the vote in Pasco County with nearly all votes counted. He led nearly 3-1 in Pinellas Tuesday night with 91 percent of the precincts reporting and held a similar lead in Hillsborough with 79 percent of the ballots counted.

The 72-year-old congressman said he will continue to push for a prescription drug benefit for seniors in his next term. He also stressed strengthening Medicare and helping the uninsured.

Kalogianis, 39, aggressively targeted Bilirakis' traditional core of support -- seniors, veterans, Greek-Americans and even Republicans.

A Greek-American like Bilirakis, Kalogianis hoped he could sway Greek and independent voters. His campaign emphasized the philosophical differences between his liberal proposals and Bilirakis' conservative record.

Bilirakis ran a low-key campaign and emphasized his record on health care and veterans issues. He refused to debate Kalogianis, prefering to hold informal gatherings with constituents on his weekends home from Washington, D.C.

First elected to Congress in 1982, Bilirakis is chairman of a House health subcommittee and vice chairman of the Veterans Affairs committee. In his recent terms, he has worked to improve children's health research and preventive care. He also helped bring a veterans' outpatient clinic to Port Richey and a spinal cord injury center to Tampa.

The recently redrawn district includes parts of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. Bilirakis is looking forward to serving new constituents in West Pasco and East Hillsborough, he said, and he was encouraged by strong returns there.