Adam Putnam
A Times EditorialPublished October 16, 2006
Republican U.S. Congress District 12
Adam Putnam, a three-term incumbent, should be vulnerable for his steadfast support of the misguided Iraq war and other conservative policy failures. Yet his two no-party opponents, educator and former state legislator Joe Viscusi and Lake Wales businessman Ed Bowlin, do not offer serious alternatives.
Putnam, 32, a former state House member first elected to Congress in 2000, is a reliable vote for the Republican right and the Bush administration. He has a conservative record almost across the board, from Iraq and national security to social issues, the environment and immigration. The 12th Congressional District, which is based in Polk County but includes a portion of southeast Hillsborough and western Osceola counties, is conservative. That may explain why Viscusi and Bowlin, while voicing stronger support for the environment and alternative energy production, spar little with Putnam on broader foreign and domestic priorities.
Putnam has a better grasp on the range of issues, particularly the budget and foreign trade. Voters know where he stands. He also is good at tending to constituent requests. In U.S. House District 12, the Times recommends Adam Putnam.