St. Petersburg Air Force veteran Sonya March says a positive attitude will mark her GOP bid for U.S. Senate.
By ANITA KUMAR
Published May 11, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Sonya March, an Air Force veteran who has never before run for office, knows she faces an uphill battle in the crowded field of Republicans vying to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Bob Graham.
"Nobody knows who I am," March, 40, said Monday. "I don't have a lot of experience, but attitude is everything. You have to have a positive attitude."
March, who grew up in St. Petersburg, served in the Persian Gulf War before retiring from the Air Force. She had flown jets and served as an air weapons director.
She said she became interested in politics when she was nominated by U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Indian Rocks Beach, to attend West Point and received a nomination by then-Vice President George Bush to attend the Air Force Academy in 1981.
"It was in this process that I looked up to my senators and congressmen," she said.
She retired from the service in 1991, then got master's and law degrees. She doesn't practice law now and is not employed. She has volunteered for a local church, and now is campaigning full time. March said she supports a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget; a law forbidding the raiding of certain trust funds, such as Social Security; and eliminating the IRS and collecting money through a national sales tax based on consumption.
March's parents and siblings live in St. Petersburg. She attended Northeast High School and Stetson University College of Law. Her younger sister, Suzan, is helping run her campaign, which has raised about $10,000 and hopes to win support from Florida veterans.
Democrats will have four candidates to choose from in the Aug. 31 primary elections. The top vote getters in each primary will meet in the Nov. 2 general election.
Other Republican contenders include House Speaker Johnnie Byrd of Plant City; businessman Doug Gallagher of Coral Gables; activist Larry Klayman of Miami; Mel Martinez of Orlando, former U.S. housing secretary; Bill McCollum of Longwood, a former U.S. representative; and philanthropist Karen Saull of Vero Beach.
