Two women of similar backgrounds but very different political ideologies are set to do battle for the right to represent Florida's 24th district in the 112th Congress.
The 24th is comprised of a small plot of east central Florida. The district includes affluent neighborhoods in north and northwest Orlando and many suburban areas to the west of Orlando. The district also includes a stretch of coast line that runs south from the southern reaches of Daytona Beach to Kennedy Space Center.
This district was carved out in the latest round of redistricting when Florida's population growth resulted in the state gaining two seats in the U.S. House. Florida Republicans controlled the redistricting process and this seat was created for then Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney. The district, however, is not overwhelmingly Republican. The 24th favored George Bush 55%-45% in 2004 and John McCain by just 51%-49% in 2008.
Feeney won the newly created district in 2002 and held it comfortably in both 2004 and 2006. In Feeney's fourth term he hit a major bump in the road. News broke of an expensive golf trip to Scotland that Feeney had taken with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Feeney was reprimanded for his conduct and the negative publicity caused him to plummet in the polls. Overnight, Feeney became one of the most vulnerable House Republicans.
Democrats nominated former State Representative Suzanne Kosmas to take on Feeney. Kosmas had an appealing background to many voters in the 24th. She had raised four children and opened a successful real estate brokerage in New Smyrna. Later in life, Kosmas went to college and received a degree. She had long been active in local civic affairs when she successfully ran for the State House in 1996, where she served until 2004. The local swing toward the Democrats coupled with Feeney's ethical problems resulted in a resounding victory for Kosmas 57%-41%.
In her first term Kosmas has largely supported the Democrat Party line. After initially opposing the Obama Health Care package, Kosmas announced her support of the measure in March 2010. This 11th hour conversion has provided red meat to conservative critics with the NRCC describing her as a "Health Care flip-flopper".
National and local Republicans have had Kosmas on their radar screens since she defeated the scandal-plagued Feeney. The result was a fierce 2010 primary on the Republican side. A total of five candidates ran, but the race quickly turned into a three-way battle between State Representative Sandy Adams, wealthy Ruth's Chris Steak House CEO Craig Miller, and Winter Park City Commissioner Karen Diebel. Miller spent freely of his own money while Diebel secured the endorsement of former Arkansas Governor and 2010 GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Adams quietly won the endorsements of the NRA, right to life groups, the ACU, and a plethora of Florida GOP pols.
In the last few days before the August 24 primary, the race turned nasty. The Miller campaign sent out a mailer personally attacking Diebel through the statements of two former Diebel colleagues on the Winter Park Commission. The mailer accused Diebel of bizarre and erratic behavior, including frequent 911 calls in which Diebel suggested that political opponents had threatened her and her family.
The result of the attacks was probably to boost Adams chances. Adams stayed above the fray and was able to win the Republican nomination, defeating Diebel by just over 500 votes 30%-29%. Miller finished a very close third with 28% of the votes. The Adams victory was probably the best possible news for Republicans on primary night. Adams was able to quickly secure the support of her primary rivals and now emerges as a good bet to unseat Kosmas in November.
Adams, like Kosmas, has a very appealing personal story. Adams dropped out of high school to join the Air Force where she married and had a daughter. Her first husband was an alcoholic and Adams left the marriage to protect her young daughter. As a single mom without a high school diploma, Adams earned her GED and joined the Orange County Deputy Sheriff's Department. During her time in the Sheriff's Department, Adams married a fellow sheriff's deputy who died in the line of duty. Her husband's death spurred Adams to become more civically involved and ultimately led to her successful 2002 bid for the Florida House.
This race between two tough women who have overcome many obstacles in their lives will certainly be one to watch. Most political handicappers have this race as a "Toss-Up" with Adams currently the slight favorite due to the Republican leanings of the district and Kosmas's late switch to vote in favor of the unpopular health care bill. Both national parties will be investing heavily in the Orlando media market as both this race and race in the neighboring 8th district are prime targets for both parties.
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