Democrats sense an opening

After Brown-Waite's controversial comments, opponents think she can be toppled.

By John Frank, St. Pete Times Staff Writer
March 3, 2008

The Brooksville rally last week that stemmed from comments made by U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite that wereperceived by some as offensive had all the trappings of a political coup:

A fiery crowd of demonstrators. Speakers with a megaphone. Colorful political signs. And myriad American flags.

The one missing ingredient: a legitimate political opponent.

Not even the three obscure candidates who have declared their candidacies attended. The only congressional candidate in the crowd was an Orlando Democrat making a bid in a different district.

The crowd of Puerto Rican and Democratic activists, with all their promises of electoral retribution, yearned for an alternative. But so far no viable candidate with major-party backing has emerged to take advantage of this lingering controversy and mount a competitive race against the three-term Republican incumbent.

Standing on the steps of the courthouse after the rally, the local Democratic Party chairman told reporters that could change soon.

Jay Rowden believes the latest Brown-Waite foot-in-the-mouth moment - calling Puerto Rico and Guam residents "foreign citizens" when they are in fact U.S. citizens - combined with a generally optimistic feeling among Democrats, presents an opportunity to take down the nearly bulletproof representative. It's the best chance he can envision in the next 10 to 15 years.

"If I was a potential candidate, this would be the year I want to run," he said. "I think all the stars are getting in line right now."

Rowden said he is talking to two or three unnamed potential candidates who are still undecided because they realize beating a strong incumbent is difficult.

"She has so much money in her campaign account that they just see it as an uphill climb," Rowden explained.

Rowden is certainly feeling the pressure to spur a real contest. An operative from the state party called Friday to urge him to find a legitimate candidate - and fast.

Not intimidated

The 5th Congressional District, which sweeps from Levy County in the north to part of Polk County in the south, has been a tough sell for Democrats since redistricting helped propel Brown-Waite to victory in 2002 over the now-chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party.

In 2006, amid an anti-Republican tide that swept Democrats into power, Brown-Waite still won by 20 percent against Democrat John Russell, a fervent opponent of the Iraq war.

Her campaign aides doubt the current controversy will create an opening.

"I think it will have a negligible to a positive effect on her election," said Charlie Keller, Brown-Waite's spokesman who also worked on her last campaign.

He said Brown-Waite relies on support from the large veteran and senior constituency that significantly outnumbers Hispanics. The broader Hispanic population amounts to just 10 percent of the electorate in the district, according to census figures. Those of Puerto Rican heritage are a small slice of that group.

Brown-Waite announced Friday that her husband was in a serious bout with cancer, but declared she would continue her re-election campaign.

Her campaign war chest, which totaled about $337,000 at the end of 2007, continues to intimidate. In the last election, her campaign spent $785,000, federal campaign finance figures show.

One of the reasons she can remain confident is the absence of involvement from the national Democratic Party.

The party's congressional campaign arm sent a fundraising letter to local Democrats in February asking for help in building the Democratic majority. But so far, the organization has no plans to invest any money in unseating Brown-Waite, said Rowden, who added the organization hasn't even contacted him regarding the Puerto Rican controversy.

'Irreparable harm'

Democratic opponent Carol Castagnero, who is still collecting signatures to get on the ballot, said Friday she doesn't plan on making Brown-Waite's comments an election issue.

"I don't bash my opponent," she said. "I never have."

Also running is David Werder, 52, of Hudson, a perennial candidate.

The one opponent speaking out against Brown-Waite is Jim King, a Land O'Lakes Republican who is challenging her in the August primary. "I think she needs to apologize," King said in an interview Friday. "It creates more racism and bigotry that we don't stand for."

For King, the issue is personal. He is half Hispanic and bilingual. His mother is from Colombia, and he has lived in Central America and Guam.

King, who said a meeting kept him from attending the rally, is shocked that Brown-Waite's Republican colleagues haven't condemned her comments.

"It is going to cause irreparable harm to the Republican Party," he said. "In this congressional district, do I think it will make a huge difference? No," he said. "But in time it will, and Hispanic voters won't forget."

Still, for the moment, King feels the controversy is so damning that he pulled back on his radio advertisements in recent weeks.

"I'm not sure I need to make it an issue," he explained. "She's perpetuating it herself."