Adams vs. Mica race heats up

Rep. Sandy Adams
(FL-24...soon to be FL-7?)

The battle royale for Florida's Seventh Congressional District continues to intensify as long-time incumbent and Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica works to build an immense war chest, and first-term Congresswoman Sandy Adams reaches out to her conservative base. The redistricting process left both Republicans living in the same district, as well as creating a new district to the north.

The race is drawing comparisons to 2010's race between Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio, with Mica viewed as more of a big government moderate and Adams attracting support from staunch fiscal conservatives and tea partiers.

State Rep. Scott Plakon: "Rush Limbaugh is Wrong"

I continue to be shocked and dismayed how far too many people seem willing to latch on to conspiracy theories and make meritless accusations against fellow Republicans. Worse, these accusations continue even when clear evidence to the contrary is presented. 

Such is the case with the furor over Florida's redistricting. Let me say this for the millionth time: There is no conspiracy in the Florida Legislature to hurt Allen West, and Mitt Romney doesn't have a darn thing to do with our redistricting process. 

No, there isn't a Romney Conspiracy against Allen West

There's a quote oft attributed to Mark Twain, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes."

In the past few days, we could say that a lie can travel across twitter the same way.

Karen Diebel: Family > Politics

Last year, I had the privilege of working on Karen Diebel's Congressional campaign when she ran in the Republican primary for the District 24 seat. Karen's a strong social and fiscal conservative and I was thrilled to see her explore running for one of the new Congressional districts in 2012.

Karen's campaign was off to a solid start. She'd earned the endorsement of the Concerned Women for America and others who had backed her candidacy last year, and was building up a base of contributions.

The campaign was getting close to the time where it would be ready to get kicked into high gear. The Florida Legislature was working on the redistricting maps so Karen would know where her district would be, fundraising was going well, and she had launched an updated KarenDiebel.com website with the latest information about the campaign.

Running for elected office is a serious commitment, and one that Karen takes seriously. I spoke with her on the phone last night, and Karen told me that when she looked at her three sons and thought about how precious this time was while they were still young (they're 15, 13, and 12), she realized that her heart just was not in running for office this year. 

Karen Diebel launches new Congressional campaign

Former Winter Park City Commissioner and Verizon Business executive Karen Diebel has thrown her hat into the ring to run for the newly-designated Congressional District 26, which will be located in the Central Florida area due to population gains in the last Census.

I was proud to be a part of Karen's 2010 campaign team and look forward to seeing her continue her fight for conservative causes in this new election.

Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley and I were quoted in a Winter Park/Maitland Observer article about Karen's campaign:

Winter Park/Maitland Observer | Diebel's Early Bid for Congress

Former Winter Park City Commissioner Karen Diebel is already in the running for a new congressional seat that has yet to be created…

Diebel’s plan is to fill whatever new seat is added in the Central Florida area. This will be her second run at Congress in two years after narrowly losing in a Republican primary to Sandy Adams, the eventual winner of Florida’s 24th District congressional seat in 2010.

“My reasons and motivation remain the same,” Diebel said. “I think we haven’t gotten the changes right going forward. I’d like to help with that.”

Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley congratulated her on her candidacy and said he looks forward to seeing her campaign take shape.

“She’s a good listener, very cautious and concerned about financial situations and very mindful of making sure we don’t spend money needlessly,” Bradley said. “I’d love to have her in Congress representing us.” …

Regardless of the eventual shape of the district Diebel hopes to represent, Sarah Rumpf, a former campaign consultant for Diebel, said that she’s made an important move getting into the running first. “She’s done well to establish herself as the front-runner being out there first,” Rumpf said. “It’s not a guaranteed slam dunk that you win, but it’s a big advantage.”

Here's a short video recapping Karen's 2010 campaign and her plans for the 2012 election:


YouTube | karendiebel | Karen Diebel for Congress

Additionally, I'd like clarify two points that keep confusing some members of our local media:

First, contrary to the way some have reported it, District 26 does, in fact, exist. It is a real legal political entity. True, we do not know the precise borders yet, but we don't know the borders for any Congressional districts. Right now, I live in District 8, and Dan Webster is my Congressman. District 26 exists just as much as District 8 does. When the borders are finally drawn (and the litigation is over, sigh...), then we'll know what District 26 looks like, but calling it a "nonexistent" district is silly.

Second, Karen is running for an open seat. She is not challenging Sandy Adams, Dan Webster, or any other Republican incumbent. Period. Some have noted that, theoretically speaking, there is a possibility that the lines may be drawn in a way that would result in Adams or Webster getting placed in a different District than they are now. For example, Webster's home might end up in 26 instead of 8. In that case, if Webster does not move into the new boundaries for 8, he could then run for re-election from 26, and 8 would then become the "open" seat, so Karen would run for 8. In no case will Karen be challenging a current Republican Member of Congress. Anyone who is reporting that she is considering otherwise is lying or misinformed.

For more information about Karen Diebel:

Karen Diebel campaign website
Karen Diebel on Facebook
@KarenDiebel on Twitter

[Cross-posted at RedCounty]

How to participate in Florida's redistricting process

One of the most crucial issues for the upcoming 2012 elections is redistricting. The Florida Legislature has created an extremely detailed website at FloridaRedistricting.org with all the information you could possibly want regarding the redistricting process, related legal issues, calendar of meetings and events, maps, and even all the software and data you need to create your own district map.

The Florida Senate and House Apportionment Committees will begin conducting public meetings around the state starting on Monday. You can view the schedule here and sign up to attend the meeting in your area.

This is a unique opportunity to directly participate in the politics and history of our state. Because of population growth shown on the 2010 Census, Florida is gaining two new Congressional seats, and population shifts around the state will further reshape our political borders. I encourage you to check out the FloridaRedistricting.org website, review the materials, and attend a meeting or submit your comments as instructed on the website.

For more information, check out the following links:

My District Builder on Facebook
@FLRedistricting on Twitter
MyDistrictBuilderFL on YouTube

Let the Games Begin...the fight over redistricting starts today

The Census Bureau is set to release their much-anticipated 2010 data today, and the key to the 2012 elections is in these numbers.

Based on estimates, Florida is gaining at least one, probably two, new Congressional seats.  We're taking over!  This actually reflects a nationwide trend of "red" or Republican-controlled states gaining population (e.g., Texas), while "blue" or Democrat-leaning states (New York, Ohio) are losing people.  Hmmm, maybe people like lower taxes?

Anyway, the Washington Post has a helpful write-up about what to expect from the Census numbers, and here's their comments on Florida:

If Florida gains two seats and New York loses two, the Sunshine State will be tied with New York for the third-largest congressional delegation in the country. Republicans control the drawing of the map in Florida, but a ballot measure that passed this year attempts to narrow their ability to draw districts that are too politically motivated. How much they will actually be restricted is an open question, but Republicans feel good about their ability to draw the map. Population gains in southern Florida and the Tampa Bay area should allow Republicans to try and draw two GOP-friendly districts. At the same time, nothing is for certain here, and we could be headed for a long legal battle either way.

My money's on a long legal battle.  There is just too much at stake.  Fortunately, the last election left the Governor's Mansion, the entire Cabinet, and the vast majority of the Legislature in Republican control.  The Democrats have been grasping desperately on to the passage of Amendments 5 and 6 - pretty much their only victory in Florida last month - and have already been articulating plans to use those amendments as a weapon to attempt to gain more seats.

The Democrats' big problem, of course, is that redistricting won't help them with the statewide races.  Draw districts any old way you want, and Rick Scott is still our governor.

One thing redistricting will affect is our Congressional districts, especially if we add two seats.  So, coupled with the effects of Amendments 5 and 6, we will most likely break up Corrine Brown's gerrymandered trainwreck of a district:

In red: Florida's 3rd Congressional District.  Indefensible by everyone except for Corrine Brown and her daughter's lobbying clients.

Now, since the Republicans control the Governor's Mansion, the Cabinet, and the Legislature (man, I just love saying that!), they have nearly total control over the redistricting process.  When I was little, I knew another little girl who got a shiny new dollhouse and she would not let anyone else play with, or even touch, that dollhouse.  Well, with redistricting, the Republicans have the dollhouse and the Democrats don't get to play. 

It's MY dollhouse and no, you can't touch it.
You're lucky I'm even letting you look at it.

Another interesting wrinkle is the date by which Florida's redistricting process is supposed to wrap up.  According to a liberal site, the Florida Progressive Coalition Blog, Florida's deadline for redistricting is the latest in the country:

As previously reported Florida’s deadline for redistricting is June 18, 2012. With an August primary, this is nothing more than an incumbent (and Republican) protection racket, since it makes it almost impossible for challengers or underfunded candidates to know what their district is in time to mount a significant campaign for the 2012 elections.

The author, Kenneth Quinnell, has helpfully looked up the redistricting deadlines for other states, which you can see here.  What do you think?  Do you think Florida's deadline for finishing redistricting is too late?  Do you think the lawsuits will even be done by then?  And, let's go ahead and start the madness with speculating who might be running for those new Congressional seats in 2012!

UPDATED: As expected, Florida is indeed gaining TWO Congressional seats.  See a map here of which states are gaining and losing.