GOP incumbents battle to keep seats in Congress

By John Bozzo, Daytona Beach News-Journal

November 7, 2006

Two incumbent Republican congressmen face challenges in the Nov. 7 election from Democrats hoping for upset victories.

John Mica, 63, R-Winter Park, seeks his eighth term representing the 7th District, including Palm Coast, Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, Deltona and DeLand.

Opposing him is John Chagnon, 58, a St. Augustine Democrat and real estate professional whose political experience is an unsuccessful bid for Palm Coast mayor in 2003.

Mica built a solid reputation for taking care of his district by attacking problems including rebuilding public housing, improving transportation and fighting illegal drugs. He also supports drug courts that give people a second chance to clean up their act and avoid a criminal record.

A victory would put Mica in line to chair the House Transportation Committee, if Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives.

"I have a great opportunity to improve transportation, not only in our counties, but the country," he said.

Mica wants to improve funding for highway and aviation transportation, as well as use privatization to improve passenger rail service. He has pushed for investigations of the finances of Amtrak, which Congress subsidizes at $1 billion a year.

Chagnon criticized Mica for not giving Amtrak more money and blasted Mica for not giving more money to air traffic controllers.

The challenger also criticized Congress for tax breaks that he said benefit the rich.

"The wealthiest people here in the U.S. got the biggest tax break in history," he said.

Chagnon proposed limiting the number of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., and repealing Medicare Drug Plan B.

Calling the war in Iraq an expensive mistake, Chagnon wants to set a deadline to pull out U.S. troops. Mica opposes setting a deadline and instead talks about a graceful exit "without leaving a complete slaughter behind."

In the race for the U.S. House District 24 seat to represent an area including Southeast Volusia and portions of Brevard, Orange and Seminole counties, Tom Feeney seeks a third term against challenger Clint Curtis.

Issues have taken a back seat to accusations in the campaign.

Feeney, 48, R-Oviedo, is an attorney listed as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He took three trips that violated House gift and ethics rules, according to the group, including one paid for by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is serving jail time for bribing congressmen.

Curtis, 48, a Titusville Democrat, accused Feeney in 2000 of using his position at the time as Florida House speaker to benefit an Oviedo computer firm where Curtis worked as a computer programmer. The Florida Ethics Commission cleared Feeney of wrongdoing.

The challenger also maintains Feeney asked him to write a computer program to rig election results, which Feeney denies.

Feeney responded to the challenges with a campaign brochure calling Clint Curtis crazy.

All of the controversy appears to be helping Curtis make headway in the heavily Republican district where Feeney was expected to be a shoo-in. A recent poll by Zogby International showed the race to be a tossup, with Feeney at 45 percent and Curtis at 43 percent.

The job carries a two-year term that pays $162,500 annually.