Dan Coleman decided to challenge the longtime U.S. representative after losing a state House election last month.
By CURTIS KRUEGER
Published November 23, 2003
BELLEAIR - Dan Coleman, 52, a Democrat from Belleair, has announced that he plans to run for the 10th District congressional seat held by longtime U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Largo.
In a special election last month for a seat in the Florida House, Coleman lost to former state Sen. Don Sullivan. He received 27 percent of the vote.
In spite of the lopsided outcome, that race persuaded Coleman to start campaigning for Congress, he said.
"Our candidacy was so well-received by not only the Democratic folks in the 54th District. ... I've had numerous compliments and notes and so forth from Republican people," Coleman said.
Coleman said he would make environmental protection a top priority as a congressman, because "down here, our environment is the economy." But he said it was too early to outline specific ideas of how he would do that.
According to a news release announcing his candidacy, "Education would be Coleman's top priority in Washington." He supports better teacher pay and pension benefits. Asked how a congressman would influence those matters, which depend heavily on state budgets, Coleman said he would seek to earmark federal funds for those purposes.
A consultant and lobbyist, Coleman has a business called J.D. Coleman and Associates. He is married. In addition to his House race last month, Coleman lost a race for a seat on the Belleair Town Council in 1996.
