The incumbent Republican's narrow primary win makes his Libertarian opponent hopeful.
By JOSH ZIMMER
Published September 5, 2004
LUTZ - Kevin Ambler can't quite figure it out.
The Republican state legislator worked hard to represent District 47, building a record that he felt would appeal to a broad range of Republican voters from Forest Hills to Keystone.
He backed legislation that earned him a near-perfect score from the Christian Coalition of Florida.
Yet he risked his political standing with an independent approach to consumer rights. On malpractice, he challenged major aspects of the bill supported by outgoing House Speaker Johnnie Byrd before eventually voting in favor of capping damages.
Byrd, R-Plant City, never forgot it.
Ambler also made friends with the new Republican leadership under incoming House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City. Bense visited Lutz last month to help Ambler, a successful trial attorney, raise money.
Who wouldn't want a hard-working, well-regarded incumbent with experience to continue the job?
A lot of people, apparently.
When the count rolled in early Wednesday morning, Ambler, 43, led challenger Bill Bunkley by just 131 votes out of 9,214 cast. Bunkley's deep support at Idlewild Baptist Church almost put him over the top.
"I felt I was a known candidate to the voters, and that we had done a good job of informing them on the issues, and that I had done a good job in Tallahassee," Ambler said.
It was the worst election performance of any incumbent Republican House member facing a primary challenge. None of the other seven candidates polled below 60 percent. The results follow his nail-biter in the 2002 primary, which he barely survived with an 83-vote win over Jill Collins in a three-person contest.
Heading into his Nov. 2 general election race against Libertarian Kim Snow, 30, Ambler admits he must solve his lack of connection with northwest Hillsborough voters. At the same time, he believes he suffered from the barrage of negative advertisements unleased by well-funded political action groups called 527s.
The ads painted Ambler as greedy and uncaring; Bunkley, 48, as incompetent and sneaky.
"It's evident to me we have to take another look at it," said Ambler. He suggested the groups should have to identify their financial backers much earlier in the process.
The question now is whether Ambler is a shoo-in against a candidate from an historically weak party, in a race that has no Democrat.
Or does the disarray among Republicans open up a window of opportunity for Snow, a software consulting company executive? To compete, she'll have to reach way beyond her base. In a district with 81,631 registered voters, only 141 are Libertarians.
Registered Democrats and Republicans are evenly split in the district, with Republicans holding a slight edge at 31,773 to 31,186. Snow thinks thousands of Democrats will never vote for Ambler. She also believes her fresh face and Republican-sounding ideas about low taxes and smaller government can appeal to many Republicans, despite Libertarians' support for personal choice on drugs and sexual freedom.
She won't have to worry about Bunkley closing ranks with the Republican candidate in the name of party loyalty. He already vowed not to back Ambler, though he isn't backing Snow at this time, either.
The strange mix suddenly has Snow thinking victory.
"I was kind of hesitant at first to actually believe we could win this," she said.
In the coming weeks she plans to become much more visible, puting up signs, handing out brochures and appearing at speaking engagements. Her enthusiasm contrasts sharply with the Libertarian candidate from two years ago, Robert Schwartzberg, who barely campaigned at all.
Ambler said he won't take Snow for granted.
"It's important my message to Republicans be, we have a serious race ahead of us," he said.
Rep. Ken Littlefield, a Republican from Zephyrhills who backed Ambler, said talk of Snow winning is just that - talk. However, former state Sen. John Grant, a longtime friend of Bunkley, predicts tough times ahead for Ambler.
Grant, who was at the forefront of the Republican ascent in Florida, is furious at the state Republican Party for spending tens of thousands of dollars on behalf of Ambler's campaign. He also said the party was out of line when vice chairman Allison DeFoor sent Bunkley a letter four days before the primary asking Bunkley to pull his negative ads criticizing Ambler's record on malpractice legislation.
Before deciding whether to campaign actively for Snow or step back, he wants an apology from the party. He also demands that it not spend any more money backing Ambler.
"The Democrats are not going to vote for Ambler," Grant said. "The large numbers of Republicans who voted for Bunkley are not going to vote for Ambler. I think there are many, many people who are going to help her."
Both Ambler and Snow said they are eager to move beyond the negative campaigning.
"This was a difficult campaign," Ambler said. "I think it is time ... we engaged in healing."
That's fine with Snow, who seeks positive attention for her low-budget campaign.
"If I get more press and publicity, it really increases my odds of winning this," she said. "Hopefully, there won't be negative campaigning."
- Josh Zimmer covers Temple Terrace and the University of South Florida area. He can be reached at 813 269-5314 or zimmer@sptimes.com
