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Politics
Race for state Senate simmering
A poll by Democrats and GOP-funded ads stir the pot.
By BEN MONTGOMERY
Published November 3, 2006
The race for state Senate District 10 is heating up, just as a recent poll paid for by the state Democratic Party shows political newcomer Stephen Gorham closer than ever to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms. A recent onslaught of ads by Gorham paint him as a Democrat with conservative views on guns, abortion and illegal immigration - a message that he hopes will appeal to voters in a district that historically leans toward Republicans. But Republicans launched their own television ads calling Gorham a wolf in sheep's clothing and painting him as a liberal Democrat. Republicans have also bombarded voters in the district, which includes eastern Hillsborough and parts of Polk and Pasco counties, with automated calls making claims about the 28-year-old telecommunications specialist from Plant City. Among the claims: Gorham, an Iraq war veteran, is bankrolled by liberal special interests that support abortion, a secret plan for higher taxes, casino gambling and a worldwide U.N. ban on guns. Not true, Gorham's supporters say. "Gorham is prolife and pro-gun. He's never voted for a tax," said state Sen. Steve Geller, D-Hallandale Beach, who is leading the Democrats' Senate campaigns. "The worldwide U.N. ban on guns is bizarre. Is there no shame?" Gorham campaign manager Cory Caswell said the surge in activity from Republicans is a sign that Gorham is gaining ground on Storms, who has served on the County Commission since 1998. Caswell pointed to the Democrat-funded poll that shows Gorham within a few percentage points of Storms. However, the poll of 400 likely voters also found almost one-fifth of them undecided about their preferred candidate. Gorham, meanwhile, has called into question Storms' contributions, noting that more than 70 percent of the $434,000 she raised through the middle of October comes from outside the district, not including $116,515 in contributions from the Republican Party. "Please send that money back to developers," Gorham said at a recent candidate forum at the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa. "Show them you're not for sale." Storms conceded she has taken contributions from many out-of-district donors but that doesn't mean she can be bought. "I'm an independent woman," she said, adding that her constituents know she's committed to representing their interests. Storms did not specifically address the Democratic poll numbers or the Republican-funded ads aimed at Gorham last week and did not return calls Monday. Times staff writer Adam Smith contributed to this report. Ben Montgomery can be reached at bmontgomery@sptimes.com or 813 661-2443.
[Last modified November 2, 2006, 08:33:11]
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