It's Robert Edward Johnson, a Libertarian and a newcomer to politics, vs. U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, a veteran Democrat.
By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN
Published June 7, 2004
TAMPA - Two years ago, no one qualified for the ballot against U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, so the Tampa Democrat won re-election automatically.
This time too, no Republican is challenging him. But he doesn't get to pass go and collect a new term without a campaign. He has drawn a rival from a different political front.
When computer consultant Robert Edward Johnson moved to an apartment on Annie Street eight months ago, the self-described "political animal" and registered Libertarian decided to do some homework.
He scoured the voting record of U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, who represents his neighborhood in the 11th Congressional District.
Johnson says he couldn't disagree more with the votes that the moderately Democratic Davis had cast on everything from the war to economics to the decriminalization of marijuana for medical usage.
"From a Libertarian standpoint, he was atrocious," Johnson said. "No one even ran against him last time."
Johnson wanted to make sure Davis doesn't get any easy ride back to Washington. So he signed up to run against him. In November, Johnson, a newcomer to politics and this town, will take on Davis, a Tampa native who has held the seat since 1996.
The race is by no means among the hotly-contested ones. Libertarian candidates have long been considered token opposition. But Johnson said he hopes Davis' record on the war (he voted to go into Iraq) will provide the push that he needs to make a difference at the polls.
"I'd like to break some records," Johnson said, referring to past Libertarian performances. "Perhaps I have a better chance than conventional wisdom would state."
For these two men, both 46, their views couldn't be more different.
Johnson was raised in Arlington, Va., by moderate Democrats who hung a portrait of Thomas Jefferson in their home. He discovered the Libertarian Party shortly after it was founded in 1971, and was attracted to its emphasis on individual liberty, a free-market economy and a foreign policy that calls for nonintervention. The first vote he cast when he turned 18 was for Libertarian presidential candidate Roger McBride. Johnson was at Princeton, pursuing an economics degree.
He later married, had two kids - now both in college in Texas - and divorced. He lived in Plano, Texas, for about 10 years until his telecommuting job as a computer consultant brought him to Tampa last year. This will be his first try for elective office.
Davis, meanwhile, has been married to his wife, Peggy, for 17 years. They have two sons, 12 and 14.
The son of a lawyer and a Realtor, Davis graduated from Washington & Lee University with a bachelor of arts and got a law degree from the University of Florida Law School.
He succeeded in his first public run for office when he entered the race for state house in 1988. He has run eight times for state house and then Congress and has never lost.
When he arrived in Washington, D.C., in 1996, Davis became a president of the freshman Democratic class, making him a liaison to party leadership.
Now seeking his fifth term for Congress, Davis considers himself a "new Democrat" - a deficit hawk who aims to cut down the debt.
The federal debt is currently at $7-trillion, Davis said.
"I visit a lot of schools," he said. "I don't even have time to put all the zeros on the blackboard. This is a staggering debt we are incurring and passing on to our future generation."
He has also focused on: rewriting the Medicare prescription drug law that Congress passed a few months ago, one that he voted against; continuing to fight for a balanced budget; looking for ways to make the No Child Left Behind program work; and pushing to get more countries involved in the rebuilding of Iraq.
Johnson said the debate over the war in Iraq will percolate beyond the elections, so he plans to attack Davis for voting to go to war in Iraq.
"I would never have gone in," Johnson said, "and we need to get out as soon as we can."
Davis, meanwhile, defended his decision.
"It would be a mistake for us to withdraw prematurely, until the Iraqis are ready to take control of their own country," he said. "I continue to push as much as I possibly can to get this administration to change its policy and truly reach out to other countries to join us in this very difficult effort."
On the environment, Davis is particularly proud that he successfully fought a provision in the energy bill that took away the state's right to object to oil and gas activity off its shores that is thought to be harmful to the environment.
Johnson, meanwhile, believes in property rights management - essentially, you can do whatever you want with your land, as long as it doesn't generate negative outside consequences.
Davis voted against the president's tax cut - something Johnson would have supported.
And Davis voted against decriminalizing marijuana for medical reasons - another issue Johnson disagreed with.
Johnson, who runs his campaign out of his tiny studio apartment off Nebraska Avenue, said it's time for a change.
"Sometimes you need some new blood," he said. "Guys that are thinking outside the box."
Davis, however, thinks his record speaks for itself.
"Every day I do my best to fight for what is right, to always vote my conscience, and to make our community a better place to live for the citizens of Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties," he said. "My constituents, the voters, are the ones who should be rating my performance as their congressman, and I hope they will do just that on election day."
Also running is Karl M. Butts, who qualified as a write-in candidate.
