Panhandle GOP congressman in tough re-election bid

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Tuesday, 10.30.12
Panhandle GOP congressman in tough re-election bid
By BRENT KALLESTAD
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A year after complaining about his congressional salary, first-term incumbent Republican Steve Southerland from Panama City hopes to hold off former longtime Democratic state lawmaker Al Lawson of Tallahassee in Florida's 2nd Congressional District where newly drawn boundaries could favor the challenger.

A Panama City mortician and tea party favorite, Southerland ousted former Rep. Allen Boyd, a seven-term Democrat and Vietnam war veteran, in 2010 when Republicans regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Boyd narrowly survived a primary challenge then from Lawson, a Tallahassee native and basketball star at Florida A&M who played briefly in the pros before starting a 28-year legislative career in 1982.

"He's very well-known and very well regarded which makes him a formidable challenger to an embattled congressman, who spent much of his first -term whining about his six-figure salary," said Democratic Party spokeswoman Brannon Jordan said. "It's a race that's top targeted for state and national Democrats."

Lawson's challenge has also caught the eye of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which has poured money into Southerland's effort to hang onto the seat. The NRCC has paid for an ad that hammers Lawson for his support of President Barack Obama's health care plan and portrays him as a career politician and free-spending liberal who voted for several pay increases for legislators during the time that he served.

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/30//v-fullstory/3073978/panhandle-gop-congressman-in-tough.html#storylink=cpy

[Lochloosa]

1. Al Lawson is a good man. I hope he pulls it off.