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Democrat gives front-runner a run for money

Phyllis Busansky beats the GOP's Gus Bilirakis, at least for one quarter, in fundraising for their District 9 House race.

By ROBIN STEIN
Published July 14, 2006

It was a fruitful spring for Phyllis Busansky.

Between April and June, the Democratic candidate for Congress collected $335,000 in contributions, outpacing Republican front-runner Gus Bilirakis, whose campaign staff said he received upward of $265,000.

It is far from clear, though, whether Busansky's momentum will be enough to overtake her opponent in the race for the District 9 seat occupied by longtime incumbent Rep. Mike Bilirakis, Gus' father.

"He's not the incumbent, but he has some incumbent advantage," Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, said of Gus Bilirakis. "The fact that she raised more money this quarter is a plus for her, but what's important at this point in the cycle is how much you have in the bank."

Even with the flush season, Busansky's staff said that at the end of the second quarter, her cache totaled $540,000, barely half of the more than $1-million estimated by the Bilirakis campaign.

And Bilirakis has several prime fundraising events coming up.

On July 21, Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to headline a luncheon for Bilirakis in Tampa that will likely draw about 200 people, each of whom will pay $500, said his campaign manager, Elizabeth Hittos.

Before the formal buffet, Cheney plans to meet privately with a small group for a political roundtable moderated by Gus Bilirakis, said Hittos. The price tag for those tickets is $1,000, with most going to the host committee, she said.

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has also been confirmed on Bilirakis' calendar.

Hittos said Pinellas County Commissioner Ronnie Duncan will host an evening fundraiser for Bilirakis at his home with Hastert on Aug. 2.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has selected Busansky as one of the party's 22 Red-to-Blue candidates, a priority for national fundraising

Whether the big name duo of Hastert and Cheney can ward off the fundraising prowess of the Democrats and Busansky's underdog momentum is unclear.

"They've been all over the place raising money for Republicans," said Rothenberg. "Cheney continues to have appeal as a draw for Republican voters."

Rothenberg said that given the current approval ratings of this administration, most candidates don't want the election to be a referendum on Bush.

"It's an open seat in a national environment that is very vulnerable to Republicans. We're keeping an eye on that race."

District 9 covers a tri-county swath of the Tampa Bay area, spanning northern Pinellas, western Pasco and suburban Hillsborough counties.

[Last modified July 13, 2006, 22:42:34]