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Chris Hunter, Gus Bilirakis battle for U.S. House Florida District 12 seat: What you need to know

A former federal prosecutor and FBI agent is challenging the six-term Congressman for District 12.
 
Published Nov. 5, 2018
WHO’S RUNNING 
  • Gus Bilirakis, the incumbent Republican from Palm Harbor, has served in Congress for 12 years in the seat his father, Michael Bilirakis, held for 24 years before him. He is vice chair of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.
  • Chris Hunter, the Democratic challenger from Trinity, is a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor running on a platform of “shared American values.” He’s been critical of what he calls Trump’s attack on the truth, rule of law and decency and calls Bilirakis complicit in endangering democracy.
  • District 12 covers northern Pinellas, all of Pasco and a sliver of northwest Hillsborough counties.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
  • Democrats need to flip 23 seats to regain a majority in the House. District 12 is rated solidly Republican, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee pegged it as winnable due in part to Hunter’s candidacy.
  • If re-elected, Bilirakis said a priority is to create a bipartisan commission to strengthen Medicare and Social Security. He also pledges to work to expand the types of veterans who qualify for benefits under presumptive status. Bilirakis voted in 2017 to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including ending coverage of pre-existing conditions, but he has recently said he now supports protecting pre-existing conditions.
  • If elected, Hunter, who also teaches international environmental policy at University of Tampa,  said he would be a champion for clean water and combating climate change through economic ingenuity and “harnessing the power of the free market.” With a career prosecuting Medicare and TRICARE fraud, he’s also focused on healthcare: improving the Affordable Care Act and supporting a buy-in option for Medicare.
WHAT YOU NEED TO READ

Check out the Tampa Bay Times voter guide here to read a breakdown of many of the 2018 races

Follow @TroMcManus for the latest updates on the District 12 House race.