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March: A counterintuitive take on Rick Baker's congressional ambitions

 
Published Oct. 24, 2015

Some Republicans think their best shot at holding the newly configured, St. Petersburg-based congressional seat is for former Mayor Rick Baker to take on former Gov. Charlie Crist.

There's plenty of political chitchat on why Baker should stay out. But this week prominent GOP consultant Adam Goodman, who's close to Baker and likely would work on his campaign — and is about to move to St. Petersburg from Hyde Park — answered some of them.

Why risk running in a now-Democratic-leaning district when Baker's happy where he is, making plenty of money working for local business magnate Bill Edwards?

"Public service to him is the greatest calling. … He could continue his service as mayor in Washington," Goodman said. "Rick's purpose in life is not simply to put money into the bank."

Baker has floated trial balloons about running for office before, including this seat and the U.S. Senate race, and nothing came of it.

Goodman: Baker's youngest is now in college, eliminating one of the main reasons he backed out of the House race in 2013.

Why would Baker, a moderate, want to tangle with the House Freedom Caucus hard-liners? Goodman: Baker's focus would be on urban policy, where he's "already a major leader," including serving as a Manhattan Institute fellow and writing a book on cities, The Seamless City.

"He could quickly become a leading voice on urban policy," Goodman said, which is usually the preserve of Democrats.

Goodman said Baker's bipartisan reputation could endure even in a strongly Democratic presidential year turnout in the district — a highly debatable proposition — and last week Baker told the Tampa Bay Times' Adam Smith that he's "intrigued" despite the uphill lean of the district for a Republican.

So does that mean Baker will run? Goodman answered: "I think this race fits Rick Baker like a glove."

A Democrat for state House District 63?

At least some local Democrats are starting to worry about the race for state House District 63, currently held by Republican Shawn Harrison but viewed as one of the Dems' best chances in the state to take over a GOP seat.

The seat has changed parties in each of the last two elections, partly because of University of South Florida students who vote in presidential years but do not vote in off years.

The 2016 election should be a Democratic year, but the only Democrat so far in the race, Mike Reedy, hasn't caught fire despite backing from influential local Dems including state party vice chairman Alan Clendenin.

Reedy opened his campaign in February, but still has raised only $13,771, including $1,200 in-kind, mostly food at fundraisers.

Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione said she's still interested in the seat, but personal financial considerations are involved in her decision. A representative's salary ($29,697) would be a pay cut from her council salary ($42,078.)

"I'm a working stiff," she said.

Party insiders say, however, that others are interested and they're expecting a decision any day from a top-flight candidate — they won't say yet who it is.

This looks familiar

In the none-too-friendly Democratic primary for clerk of the circuit court, supporters of incumbent Pat Frank are carping about a mailer sent by opponent Kevin Beckner to supporters describing the duties of the clerk.

The reason: The Beckner campaign appears to have lifted much of the wording from Frank's public website, but eliminating use of the pronoun "she" to refer to the clerk.

Much of the wording is identical, but where Frank said, "She is also the independent auditor of county department," he wrote, "Also, the clerk is the independent auditor of county departments."

The response from Beckner, a Hillsborough County commissioner: "It's pretty much just facts about the role and responsibility of the clerk — nothing proprietary. It's a public website."

Said Frank, "I make my website as available and accessible as it can be to everyone in the world, and if my opponents have to find out about the clerk's office from my site, they're welcome to it."

William March can be reached at wemarch@gmail.com.