FILE This Nov. 23, 2013 file photo shows Florida Democratic Congressional candidate, Alex Sink, cent …
The battle for Florida's 13th
District seat is a prequel of sorts to the national fight this year over
who controls Congress in the last two years of Obama's final
presidential term. The House is expected to remain under Republican
control. But in the Senate, Republicans are hoping to leverage Obama's
unpopularity and his health care law's wobbly start to gain the six
seats required to control the 100-member chamber.
That makes the race in Florida a pricey proving ground for both parties heading into November elections.
Jolly,
a former Young aide backed by Republicans and outside groups,
campaigned on repealing the health care law, saying in one ad that Sink
would undermine Medicare because of Democratic-passed cuts to programs
under "Obamacare."
The message is a rallying cry for Republican voters.
"No
more big government. We've got to stop," said Irene Wilcox, a
78-year-old retired waitress and Republican from Largo who voted for
Jolly.
Others described Sink as a clone
of Obama and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a key argument of
Jolly and national Republicans.
"As bad as Bush may have been, he
was a saint compared to the guy we have in Washington," said Rich
Castellani, a retired treasury agent who supported Jolly.
Meanwhile,
Sink, Florida's former chief financial officer and the Democratic
nominee for governor in 2010, painted Jolly as an extremist who wants to
"take us back" to when people were denied coverage due to existing
conditions. She pledged to "to keep what's right and fix what's wrong"
in the health care law.
That argument resonated with some voters.
"While
I know it's not perfect, it's may be the beginning of where we can
provide adequate health care to everyone, not just the wealthy," said
Frieda Widera, a 51-year-old Democrat from Largo who backed Sink.
Others compared the botched rollout to the beginnings of popular government programs like Social Security and Medicare.
In
an attempt to deflect criticism over the law, Sink and Democrats
painted Jolly as a Washington lobbyist who backs efforts to privatize
Social Security and gut Medicare. The attack put Jolly on the defensive
in recent weeks, and some voters cited concern about GOP cuts to
programs for the elderly. More than one in four registered voters in the
district is older than 65.
"The
Republican Party thinks they are hurting President Obama," said George
Nassif, an 82-year-old Republican who voted for Sink. "They are not.
They are hurting the people."
Many
voters expressed disgust at the amount of money spent on the race — and
the relentless barrage of television ads and mailers that were on par
with a presidential election.
"I
stopped watching television because the ads were driving me crazy,"
said William McConnell, a 72-year-old forensic accountant and lifelong
Republican. "It was packed with lies on both sides." He cast his ballot
for Overby as a protest vote.
In a sign that the GOP is
concerned about losing votes to the Libertarian candidate, Kentucky
Republican Sen. Rand Paul recorded a phone message for Jolly last week
aimed at Overby's supporters.
Both major political parties made a last-minute drive for voters over the last week.
Clinton
recorded a phone call last week seeking local volunteers to help with
Sink's campaign, and a half dozen House Democrats emailed fundraising
appeals to their own supporters on her behalf. More than a third of
Jolly's campaign contributions came from members of Congress.
Meanwhile, Ryan joined Jolly on a conference call with voters.
While
Republicans held the congressional seat for four decades until Young's
death last year, the district's voters favored Obama in the 2008 and
2012 presidential elections. The district is 37 percent Republican, 35
percent Democrat and 24 percent independent.
Sink
outspent Jolly by more than 3 to 1 on television advertising, though
outside groups aligned with the GOP helped narrow the overall Democratic
advantage.
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