When you think of politicians it does not always conjure up images of family, but in Florida’s 9th Congressional District, Gus Bilirakis is betting the bank that you will vote for him on November 7th because he is his father’s son. Congressman Michael “Mike” Bilirakis is retiring from his seat in the House of Representatives after 24 years of service to our nation, and who better to replace him than son Gus who has served admirably in his four terms in the Florida House of Representatives and the State in general over the past 23 years of public service.
Gus’ reported FEC is $2,557,033 and his primary opponent Phyllis Hendler Busansky’s FEC is less than half that at $1,174,282. What does that mean? Gus has a huge advantage over Phyllis. Name recognition or confusion with his father can help Gus immensely and as we enter the final week of campaigning, what money is left in the bank will be poured out into ads, fliers, bumper stickers, and all manner of signs to try and tip the balance. It is likely that this seat will remain Republican.
Gus Bilirakis Campaign Video
Play Video: Windows Media: 128kps 256kps | QuickTime
Watch the Phyllis-Gus Debate Here!
Gus’ main opponent Phyllis Busansky was elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 1988 as a reform candidate dedicated to ending the corruption of the previous decade. She served as Chairman of the Commission in 1991 and was elected to a second term without opposition. Phyllis served as the first Executive Director of Florida’s welfare-to-work agency under Governors Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush. She was also named a “Public Official of the Year” in 1995 by Governing magazine.
Phyllis Busansky Campaign Video:QuickTime
Opinion:
I have to hand it to Gus, he’s got a lot of momentum on his side. He’s very likely to win. He is however Bush-like in his manner. He doesn’t come across as stupid, but certainly not brilliant either. His rhetoric is rather bumbling which isn’t good for him, but it may not affect his candidacy. His opinions on issues seem very dependent on the resident expert, generals for war strategy and so on. Phyllis has an interesting name to pronounce which could keep her from being discussed as much by the less informed, but seems very intelligent and creative as evidenced by her campaign ads. Both candidates are playing for the retiree and military crowd with similar stances, which won’t help Phyllis because of her more limited funds and because she is running in a district which has been solidly Republican for a quarter century. In addition, the district was a target of redistricting in such a way that the face-down “J” shaped district is not likely to vote democrat anyway.
