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JOSH ZIMMERIdlewild Baptist Church leaders say they are behind William Bunkley in his House race.
TAMPA - As state Rep. Kevin Ambler and fellow Republican William Bunkley scramble for votes in the District 47 House race, the challenger could have a potent weapon at his disposal:
Idlewild Baptist Church.
Within its estimated membership of 8,000 are more than enough votes to tip the result. That could be a big advantage for Bunkley, a longtime Idlewild member, over Ambler, who won a razor-thin primary race two years ago against another Idlewild congregant, Jill Collins.
An unabashed Christian conservative, Bunkley wants those votes badly. In fact, the self-employed mortgage broker and real estate agent is counting on them as he seeks to portray himself as the campaign's true conservative and Ambler, a trial lawyer, as a moderate. Plenty of Idlewild people seem eager to help him achieve that goal.
Barbara Wilcox, a well-connected Republican whose husband, Roy, heads President Bush's campaign in Hillsborough County, said the congregation is squarely behind Bunkley. The church doesn't endorse candidates; doing so would jeopardize its tax-free status with the Internal Revenue Service. But nothing prevents members from talking to one another and assisting candidates they favor, she said.
"I think we're all trying to educate each other on who's doing what," said Wilcox, who has gone door-to-door for Bunkley. "Then I go ahead and tell them about my experience with him over the years. Then people ... usually listen to their friends. I think we could win it for him."
She sees the Bunkley push as part of a larger effort to elect Christian conservatives who will press social issues, such as school prayer and restrictive abortion rules.
Four other Idlewild members are candidates for state and local office: Paul Huey for county judge, Bob Blair in commission District 7, Brian Blair in commission District 6 and incumbent Ken Hagan in commission District 2.
"We've sat back too long and been quiet and prayed that God would take care of it," she said, estimating 4,000 to 5,000 members could be eligible to vote on Aug. 31. "And he told us to go up and do something about it. You're going to hear us in the Bunkley campaign, and you're going to hear us in Bush's campaign."
There is no Democrat in the race. After the Republican primary, the winner faces Libertarian Kim Snow, 30.
Bunkley's Idlewild support doesn't surprise Ambler, who is squarely backed by the House Republican leadership.
"I don't know that that really is a story," he said. "We've drawn our volunteers from church all over the district, temples all over the district, organizations all over the district, Republicans all over the district. I would expect friends to help friends."
Ambler, 43, a baptized Episcopalian married to a Jewish woman for about 20 years, said many people, including himself, have strong religious values. Yet they choose not to air them in the political arena.
"My family has an extremely strong belief in God and has very strong family values," said Ambler, whose two children are being raised Jewish. "I also believe we should honor and respect the constitution and keep this about the issues of the day," such as teachers pay, universal prekindergarten education, hurricane preparedness, roads and transportation and water supply.
If Ambler is concerned about a threat to his re-election, he doesn't show it.
A successful trial lawyer, he says many Idlewild members are on his side. At the same time, he stoutly defends his conservative credentials and minimizes the potential effect a pro-Bunkley turnout at Idlewild could have. Ambler, who defeated Collins by 83 votes, estimates that at most 20 percent of the congregation live in District 47.
Efforts to get figures from the church were unsuccessful. "It's really hard to tell," Pastor Reno Zunz said.
State Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, speaking at a recent fundraiser for Ambler, doubts Bunkley's appeal to conservatives and Christian conservatives will work. He said he doesn't hear many disgruntled conservatives.
Ambler is a strong conservative who had an effective first term, he said. During the last session, Crist worked with Ambler on an unsuccessful bill that would have allowed bail bondsmen to place global positioning system monitors on released arrestees. They also fought to change elements of the medical malpractice bill advocated by outgoing House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, he said.
Ambler's effort earned him the ire of some conservatives, including Byrd, and Bunkley has made it a centerpiece of his campaign.
"Bill has a strong network of friends and family that I'm sure he's tapped into," said Crist, who knows both men well but pledged his support to Ambler a year ago. "But I haven't seen any ground swell to oust Kevin from his seat."
Still, the possibility of a big Idlewild turnout for Bunkley is intriguing. Primaries often attract low numbers of voters, giving activists an advantage. Only 8,370 - 26.3 percent - of Hillsborough's 31,773 Republicans showed up for the 2002 primary.
Bunkley's roots at Idlewild run deep. He joined the church when it moved to its current location off Bearss Avenue in the mid-1980s. Membership then was less than 1,000 people. Idlewild's current numbers make the church a tour de force within the Tampa Bay religious community. Bunkley, a popular member and a Bible teacher, is part of the success story.
A longtime lobbyist for the Florida Baptist Convention, he's hosted large groups of congregations members on tours of the Legislature, Zunz said.
"We do love Bill Bunkley," he said. "As active as Bill has been in this church I'm sure he's got people working for him. I count myself as one of those."
Bunkley is known to be close to the head pastor, the Rev. Ken Whitten. Asked if the glowing words from the church leadership, though not from the pulpit, could influence members in Bunkley's favor, Zunz said, "I don't think I'm telling them anything new."
Though convinced he's got strong support among fellow congregants, Bunkley agreed with Ambler that it will take more than just Idlewild voters to win the primary.
"You have to campaign to all different sorts of people," he said.
However, religious conservatives remain a prime target. Bunkley has been sending personal letters to religious people he knows or has heard about, asking them to volunteer on his campaign.
"As a Christian, I believe that God has called me to the ministry of public service," the letter begins. "I am a member of Idlewild Baptist Church. Our pastors have urged us to be committed to being involved ... Can I count on your support in this election? I promise that I will always cast my vote carefully and prayerfully."
Bunkley, who helped Idlewild deacon and former state Sen. John Grant in many of his campaigns, says it's natural for him to send out such a targeted letter.
"I certainly hope I'm not faulted because I know a lot of people," he said.
Ambler says there's nothing wrong with his conservative record.
He sponsored, or co-sponsored, bills that proposed broad public records exemptions for the banking industry and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Center, and one that allowed more renters to fly American flags. He also supported a measure that could lead to parental notification on abortions.
He earned a 92 percent approval rate from the Christian Coalition of Florida. The only major issue they differed on is stem cell research, which Ambler supports. His mother and brother both died of cancer.
"I don't think there's all that great a difference between Bill Bunkley's views on family value issues than mine," Ambler said. "The point is I've done the job ... and I deserve an opportunity to return and do the job that I've begun."
Josh Zimmer can be reached at 813-269-5314 or zimmer@sptimes.com