Feeney, Kosmas heating up

21 Jul 2008 // An out-of-touch liberal or an unethical insider -- ads and advocates for candidates in a heated local congressional race are already casting the contest in dramatic -- and negative -- terms.

Former state House Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, a Democrat from New Smyrna Beach, and incumbent Republican Tom Feeney of Oviedo are all but skipping over their primaries to focus on each other.

The two are old nemeses from their years in the Legislature. He ended his last two years as the hard-driving, hard-core conservative speaker of the House and she as the second-highest ranking Democrat. He pushed for the performance-based FCAT, tax cuts to big corporations and less money for Medicaid; she opposed them.

It's no different on the national stage. In Congress, Feeney has supported the Iraq war, backed privatizing Social Security accounts and favored the No Child Left Behind Act; she opposes them.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, Kosmas is challenged by Clint Curtis, a Titusville computer programmer, in the Democratic primary. Feeney is opposed by Jason Paul Davis, a veteran from Port Orange. Curtis won 45 percent of the vote when he faced Feeney in 2006.

As before, Curtis makes much of Feeney's ethical troubles (Curtis, too, is looking ahead to the general election), regularly reminding voters of his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is serving prison time for bribing congressmen. Feeney also turns up as one of the 20 most corrupt congressmen, according to the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

Besides taking a golf trip to the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, with Abramoff, Feeney accepted contributions from a supporter, Tyng-Lin Yang, who was seeking a contract with NASA. Feeney serves on the Space and Aeronautical congressional subcommittee.

That notoriety has caused the Democratic Party to target Feeney's seat, along with four others in Florida. Some predict the contest for the 24th District, which includes the southern half of Volusia County and portions of Seminole, Brevard and Orange counties, could cost up to $3 million.

Kosmas has proven a surprisingly strong fundraiser, collecting donations from big Volusia businesses that normally throw their support to the GOP. Some local Republicans fault Feeney for ignoring Volusia and rarely appearing here. The only time they see the congressman, they say, is when he wants a contribution. Kosmas, meanwhile, has remained involved in the community and can be counted on to help when asked.

Other supporters are sticking with him. Feeney's clout on the science committee could help to protect NASA, and he faithfully supports the interests of business and promotes tax cuts.

But in a throw-the-bums-out year, incumbents are vulnerable. Women candidates tend to have an advantage with angry voters. They don't generally consider women bums. In other words, women may have a better shot in troubled times than they do in prosperous ones.

Kosmas, should she win the primary, will hold the advantage of an excited Democratic electorate, which is likely to turn out in record numbers for presidential nominee Barack Obama. Feeney holds the financial advantage and voter familiarity that come with incumbency, not to mention a district with 30,000 more Republicans than Democrats.

Unethical insider and out-of-touch liberal are just the opening shots in this crucial national race.