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Politics

Republican loss clips Fla. clout in House

The GOP moves to minority party status, and Florida Democrats lag in seniority and committee muscle.

By WES ALLISON, ANITA KUMAR and BILL ADAIR
Published November 9, 2006

The Democrats' gain will be Florida's loss.

The power shift in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday demoted several well-connected Florida Republicans with key leadership roles, and the state's Democrats lack the seniority and committee clout to make it up.

In House committees overseeing federal spending, Social Security, insurance and Medicare, Floridians who once held considerable sway now find themselves relegated to minority status.

The power also shifts in sheer numbers: Rather than 18 House members in the ruling party, Florida now has nine or 10, depending on the final outcome of the contested seat in Sarasota.

Rep. C.W. Bill Young, the most senior Floridian in Congress, acknowledged the state lost clout because he and several colleagues have lost their chairmanships.

Among those losers was veteran Rep. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale, chairman of the trade subcommittee who would have been a contender for chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee under Republican control. Shaw was defeated Tuesday.

"Having chairmanships brings a substantial amount of influence," said Young, R-Indian Shores.

Over the years, that influence has translated into having a say in policy matters like Social Security spending, as well as practical things such as federal funding for the Treasure Island bridge, beach renourishment and safeguarding Florida military bases, especially MacDill Air Force Base, against closure.

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, said the Republicans' future now largely depends on how well they can work with Democrats.

"It's a whole new day out there," she said. "Some of us will adjust, and others won't. And I think anybody who has been intensely partisan won't adjust."

Dan Smith, a political scientist at the University of Florida who follows the delegation, noted that five of the state's 25 House members will be freshmen when the new Congress convenes in January.

"That's not necessarily a good thing when it comes down to bringing home the bacon to Florida and helping make your mark," he said.

The state's most senior Democrats are Reps. Alcee Hastings of Miramar and Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, each with 14 years. Brown is in line for chairman of the Railroads subcommittee, and Hastings is the senior Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.

However, Hastings was impeached as a federal judge in 1989, and some conservative Democrats oppose elevating him to committee leader. The presumptive House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is considering a compromise, aides say, that may result in giving Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas the chairmanship. Hastings would get something else.

The Floridians with the most to gain are Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Broward County and Kendrick Meek of Miami. Meek is in line to become chairman of the oversight subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee, which could get busy as the Democratic Congress brings new scrutiny to the Bush administration.

"There's a lot of potential, a lot of opportunity," said Wasserman Schultz, who was re-elected to a second term. "The incumbent members worked very hard not only to elect Florida Democrats, but Democrats across the country," and that's likely to be rewarded.

Meek said he and Wasserman Schultz have a good relationship with Pelosi, and both served on the 30-Something Working Group, which meant they spent hours giving speeches on the House floor, advocating Democratic ideals.

"We've worked with the speaker-to-be very closely," Meek said. "I believe we have a connection with the incoming leadership that will benefit Florida."

The House turnover blocked the rapid ascension of Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow, the fifth-ranking member of the House Republican leadership. He used his position to broker a deal on offshore oil drilling, and he gave other Floridians a direct line to leadership.

As a member of the minority, he'll have less power to influence legislation, though he still aims to stay in leadership. He announced Wednesday he would run for chairman of the House Republican Conference, the number-three spot, which crafts the party's message.

Though he no longer will be chairman of the Appropriations Defense subcommittee, Young expects to keep steering millions of dollars to the Tampa Bay area, given the long history of bipartisanship on the committee. He will be the top Republican. "I still will have a major responsibility in defense issues," he said. "I don't see my influence changing much at all."

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 01:18:29]