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Two candidates lead election contributions

Gus Bilirakis has raised more than two-thirds of the total brought in by the leading four candidates for the U.S. House District 9 seat.

By NICOLE JOHNSON
Published April 30, 2006

Voters might not be thinking much yet about the race for U.S. House District 9, but big bucks from big industry have already begun flowing into candidates' coffers.

Money from real estate companies, health professionals and lawyers are fueling the races of candidates for the congressional seat, according to campaign contribution reports filed this month.

In a race that has already generated more than $1.5-million, two candidates are leading the money race - Republican Gus Bilirakis, a state representative from Palm Harbor, and Democrat Phyllis Busansky, a former Hillsborough County Commissioner from Tampa.

There are now four candidates running for District 9, which sprawls across North Pinellas, West Pasco and suburban Hillsborough counties. The primary is Sept. 5; the general election will be Nov. 7.

Democratic candidates Fred Taylor and Greg Rublee and Republican candidate David Lynch have withdrawn from the race.

Bilirakis, who leads the Republican race in fundraising, has raised about $1.2-million. Republican David Langheier has raised $39,305, according to campaign finance reports.

Busansky, considered the Democratic front-runner, has raised $369,571. Following her is Bill Mitchell with $73,189.

Bilirakis, who earlier this month was endorsed by the Florida Association of Realtors, has received $97,850 - the largest contribution by any one group to his campaign - from the real estate industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The support for Bilirakis, who hopes to replace his father, U.S. Rep. Michael Bilirakis, R-Tarpon Springs, doesn't stop at those selling the homes. It also includes those surveying the land and building the structures.

"Land costs have increased dramatically, as have material costs and labor costs," said Joseph Narkiewicz, chief executive of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, whose national arm gave Bilirakis $5,000. "The regulatory process also is a major obstacle. Roll those together and it's difficult to deliver affordable product.

"So, support for the housing tax credit bill and support for programs of that nature would be helpful."

While developers and builders have favored the GOP so far, lawyers and health professionals have donated to both Republican and Democratic candidates in the race for District 9.

Bilirakis, who is a lawyer, has received almost $60,000 from lawyers. The legal industry has also given almost $12,000 to Busansky, whose son is a lawyer, and $6,500 to Mitchell, who is a lawyer.

"I've done a lot of work in the American Bar Association," said Mitchell, who has practiced law in Tampa since the late 1970s. "I'm involved in the labor law section, so that's put me in touch with a lot of lawyers in Florida."

Industries tend to chose sides as the election moves along, said Derek Newton, a a Democratic campaign consultant.

"Realtors are generally Republican and labor unions almost are always Democratic," Newton said. "But the rest of them will make the decisions based on how they think the race will go after the primary and what their leadership thinks."

While political action committees have been donating to the race, individual donors are the majority givers.

Busansky has drawn $30,000 in contributions from individual donors.

"There's a whole feeling out there that they want to change things, they want it to be different," Busansky said. "They want leadership, and what they all know about me is, I'm a leader."

The Democratic Party, who has all but formally endorsed Busansky by selecting her for a newly created fundraising assistance program, has contributed $11,250 to her campaign.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who represents portions of San Franciso, and Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, who represents Las Vegas, have each donated thousands to Busansky.

In a district that goes across three county lines, an East vs. West dynamic is forming in candidates' contributions.

Bilirakis, a Palm Harbor resident, has raised almost $94,000 from contributions made by individuals in Pinellas County, while individual donors in Hillsborough have given Busansky more than $40,000.

The candidates will not only have to stretch beyond their base, but beyond the state, according to a local political expert.

"The races are so competitive that you can't rely on your neighborhood or even your district anymore to remain competitive," said Bob Buckhorn, Bay News 9's political analyst and a former Tampa City Council member. "Given the cost to run a congressional campaign, candidates are forced to look high and low for support."

Significant money from out of state includes $32,250 worth of contributions given to Bilirakis from donors in Stockton, Calif., including San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos, whose wife, Faye, is a native of Tarpon Springs.

"A bunch of Greeks in California raised money for Gus," said Liz Hittos, spokeswoman for the Bilirakis campaign. "He's only one of two Greek-Americans running for Congress, so as a result the Greeks come out in droves nationwide to raise money for Gus."

Busansky has raised more than $30,000 from donors in New York and Boston.

Mitchell, who has raised a little more than $4,000 from out of state, said the prevalance of out-of-state money takes away from the primary election process.

"I think it's an effort to pick the nominee from the top-down," he said. "I think the nominee should be picked from the bottom-up; the voters should make the decision, not Washington."

Nicole Johnson can be reached at njohnson@sptimes.com or 727 445-4162.

[Last modified April 30, 2006, 00:58:16]