DEFEAT REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP!!
Today, the St. Petersburg Times ran a great little blurb about Doug Tudor, Democratic candidate for Congress in FL-12, the forgotten about race here in FL.
The excerpts are below the fold:
BARTOW — After 12 years in politics, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam knows how to get a crowd going. At a debate in Bartow on Tuesday, many in the audience applauded the Republican candidate for District 12 when he spoke about Social Security, which he says needs reform.
"Where is your plan, sir?" he asked his opponent without making eye contact, his voice raising.
His opponent, Democratic candidate Doug Tudor, just retired after 20 years in the military and doesn't have a background in politics. He may still get nervous while speaking, but he says the ethics and the integrity he gained in the military would help him in Washington.
By many standards, Putnam has the advantage. He's running for a fifth term. He's the third highest-ranking Republican in the House. And he has raised about $1.5-million more than Tudor.
"Adam's bought and paid for," Tudor, of Riverview, said.
Tudor says that although he's running on the Democratic ticket, "nobody owns me." He said he'll vote independent of his party when needed.
At Lakeland's "Politics in the Park" event last week, Putnam said he's not worried about taking on someone "who openly runs as an unabashed liberal Democrat."
"I believe that my experience and my conservative values appeal to people in District 12," he said.
Tudor prefers the term "progressive Democrat," and he said he's not afraid to take some progressive stances, including advocating for a single-payer health care system, which he says is like a super-Medicare. He figures his conservative military background will appeal to moderates.
Statistics show the party-line division in District 12 is close, even leaning Democratic. There are about 160,000 Republicans and about 180,000 Democrats registered in District 12, according to July data from Florida's Division of Elections.
District 12 includes Polk County, part of Osceola County, and part of Hillsborough County, including the South Shore area, Brandon and Thonotosassa.
I've been passing out Doug Tudor fliers while canvassing for Obama. Doug is an awesome guy, and He's running against Adam Putnam, the #3 Republican. I wish this race would have gotten more national attention early on, but we really have a good chance of defeating the #3 guy in the Republican House if Tudor can raise enough money. If you want to donate to his ActBlue page, you can DONATE NOW here!
Doug was against FISA, he is pro-universal healthcare, and both he and his wife are veterans. You couldn't ask for a better progressive. Find out more about him at his website.
Thanks!!! Doug needs the Netroots' support!