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By challenging Young, Democrat takes on Bush

Many have challenged the congressman, but few have amounted to serious threats. Simpson's making a run anyway.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published May 17, 2006

The last time U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young faced someone widely viewed as a strong challenger was 1992. Young trounced Karen Moffitt that year with nearly 57 percent of the vote, his closest re-election bid since joining Congress in 1970.

Given that history, nobody's calling Democrat Samm Simpson a real threat to the incumbent Republican from Indian Shores just yet. But Simpson says she is undaunted despite the odds.

"This is not about a person I'm running against; this is about an ideology that I believe is devastating our country. I believe it's very important that we do not have one-party rule in Washington," said Simpson, a former marketing executive from Dunedin who wants Congress to thoroughly investigate the Bush administration.

Young, in a telephone interview from Washington, declined to discuss his opponent directly but said he's not especially worried about polls showing widespread public disenchantment with the president and Congress.

"Congress has always had a very low poll rating as long as I can remember, but most people really believe in their own representative," said Young, 75, who gently suggested the president should "demand more accountability" of agencies under his control.

Young declined to say whether going to war in Iraq was a good idea, noting that the authorization for force had widespread support from Democrats and Republicans.

"Once you get committed to a war situation, you're committed. It's not easy to get out until you win or you lose," said the congressman, who was on his way to present Purple Hearts to soldiers. "We have soldiers and Marines getting hurt and getting killed because of this war against terrorism. People don't like that, I don't like that ... but also I know we can't turn the world over to the terrorists, because they're killers."

Simpson, 52, says Congress must investigate the Bush administration in a variety of arenas: "It's absolutely apparent to most Americans who read or seek the truth that the wiretapping is illegal, that we were lied to about the war. ... I believe Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush all need to be investigated."

Simpson, with the help of volunteers, qualified to be on the ballot by obtaining in five weeks more than 4,000 signatures of people in the district, which Al Gore barely won in 2000 and President Bush barely won in 2004.

Young, who has traditionally kept his distance from long-shot challengers, said he expects to be busy in Washington much of the campaign season but that he takes nothing for granted. He also had nearly $400,000 in his campaign account as of March 31, while Simpson was starting from scratch.

A grandmother and 24-year resident of Pinellas County, Simpson is making her first bid for public office, though she serves on Dunedin's Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Committee and Board of Finance.

She worked at Raymond James & Associates for 17 years until 2001. She also was manager of television and radio operations for Pinellas County Economic Development office until 2003. She hosts a monthly television show called Media is Propaganda on Pinellas' public access channel.

Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727893-8241 or asmith@sptimes.com.

[Last modified May 17, 2006, 06:56:57]