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Democrat enters race for Lee's seat
Three Republicans are running for senator in District 10, which tends to vote conservative.
By BRIAN WHITE
Published August 4, 2005
Stephen Gorham, who is running for the seat being vacated by state Senate President Tom Lee, says he is pro-life, pro-gun and pro-business - positions many associate with the Republican Party.
Thing is, Gorham is a Democrat.
He thinks this is the right combination to win the seat in District 10 in 2006, where voters tend to elect conservative candidates. The district comprises eastern Hillsborough County, southeastern Pasco County and a slice of Polk County.
Gorham, 26, said that he is a moderate Democrat, and that liberals have trouble winning in the district because Democrats there don't support them.
Gorham, a Navy veteran who lives in Plant City, said more money needs to be invested in teachers' pay and training to promote "quality retention."
He also wants to see more "boots on the street" to help prevent crime. And in order to better track sexual offenders, he proposed implanting a GPS tracking chip under their skin.
He faces three declared Republican candidates: Steven Cleveland, former state Rep. Sandra Murman and Ray Young.
Gorham was born in Philadelphia and moved to Lakeland when he was 7. He graduated from George Jenkins High School in 1996 and attended Florida State University in Tallahassee while serving in the Army Reserve.
He joined the Navy in 1999, where he was as an electronics technician until 2004. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he served in support of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. While in the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree in electronic systems and a master's in information studies.
After leaving the Navy, Gorham worked as a consultant at MacDill Air Force Base. He is now the director of networks and telecommunications at Hillsborough Community College.
Gorham is married to Rebecca Gorham, 28, whom he met at FSU. She works as a dental hygienist in Lakeland and grew up in Pensacola. They have a 2-year-old daughter.
[Last modified August 4, 2005, 01:04:11]
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