The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    trkingmomoe's picture

    Gwen Graham-D Will Run Against Steve Sutherland-R in Florida House District 2

    By trkingmomoe on Sat, 05/04/2013 - 3:45am |

    Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Florida Senator(18 years) and Governor(8 years) Bob Graham, announced last month she will run for Congress in FL House District 2 against incumbent Steve Southerland-R(Panama City.)  She graduated from Leon High School while living with her father in the Governor's mansion in 1980.  She attended University of North Carolina and got her law degree from American University.  Returned to Tallahassee to raise 3 children and practice law.  She also worked for the Leon School District.  She is new to politics but is well known in Leon County.(Even I know who she is because of her work.)  District 2 includes Tallahassee which has a large Democrat voter registration 21% over Republicans and can flip blue.  Steve Southerland-R was swept into office by the Teaparty in 2010 but found himself in a difficult race with Al Lawson-D last year.  He cosponsered a bill to make balancing the budget a constitutional amendment and is your far right no-nothing tea party congress critter that complained a couple of years ago that he isn't paid enough in congress.  She knows she will have a up hill battle with this race.  Lawson plans to run again and will face Graham in the primary.  Bob Graham has remained in Florida politics as a Statesmen and was just up at Tallahassee trying to defeat a bill that is bad for the environment in Florida.  Gwen Graham is off with a good start and has set up a good team.  The quality of her press releases and schedule shows she has the same instinct as her father's for Florida Cracker Retail Politics.  My guess she also has the backing and help from her dad's campaign machine.  The clips I have seen, shows her poised and photogenic.  She will be able to fund raise what is needed to match outside GOP Koch Cash.  She is a good fit for this district and the Florida Democrat Party is excited about this race to help take back the house in 2014.

    Comments

    Let me introduce you to Rep. Steve Southerland. Apr.15, 2013  Tax Code and the Bible.


    by trkingmomoe on Sat, 05/04/2013 - 5:57am

    I liked her dad!

    He was a fine Senator and good for our Party.

    His daughter looks the part and I hope she makes it into Congress.

    We need all the help we can get.


    by Richard Day on Sat, 05/04/2013 - 12:18pm

    She seems to have set the right campaign tone of being an independent voice for her district and family issues.  When asked a question she gives a thoughtful straight answer like her dad always does on local news coverage.  The rural areas between Panama City and Tallahassee is very poor and have some of the highest infant mortality rates in the country.  It is one vast food desert where you have to drive 60 miles round trip to buy groceries.  The sequester has had to hit them hard in that area.  Southerland has only focused on God, guns, gays and the commercial fishing.  He is always talking about sportsmans, fishing and pine woods logging but ignors the biggest part of the district.  He owns some piney woods and has invested interest in that business but trees don't vote.  Normally this district is in the hands of the Democrats and should have been picked back up last year.  The DCCC didn't seem to be interested in supporting Lawson and focused on the East Coast.  Debbie WS. did a good job of picking up 4 seats and getting rid of Allen West bringing back Grayson. She has used G. Graham in a DCCC commercial for the 2014 Take Back the House Fundraising Campaign.  


    by trkingmomoe on Sat, 05/04/2013 - 5:39pm