Last week Cl had a chance to spend a few minutes with Polk County area Democrat Lori Edwards, the nominee running in Congressional District 12 in an open seat election due to Adam Putnam calling it a day to run for Agriculture Commissioner this year.
The Polk County Supervisor of Election over the past decade, told CL last week that she didn't expect to get any financial help from Washington, and that was okay with her, as it allows her to position herself as distant from the current crowd – (i.e., Barack Obama & Nancy Pelosi), that can be toxic in especially Republican leaning districts.
"This is a really local race,"she said, "That's what it's about to me. And that's exactly what I don't want. That's what I'm working against against is any type of involvement from Washington. When I go up there. I want to have a strong voice for working people, for independent people, and I don't want to be beholden to anybody, not even a political party."
That's what Edwards is aiming for, but her GOP opponent, state legislator Dennis Ross, isn't biting. Check out his new television ad:
In speaking with CL last week, Edwards wasn't pretending that the seat, which last had a serious challenge from a Democrat was decade ago when Republican Charles Canady left to ultimately become a judge (who now sits on the Florida Supreme Court), and Putnam ran against car dealer in his 50's who had never held political office. She asked rhetorically, "Can a Democrat win the seat? That’s a good question, and realistically, who knows? We'll know on Nov. 3rd.
Edwards is banking on Ross losing support to a Tea Party member who will be running as a write-in candidate, Polk County Commissioner Randy Wilkinson. " I think that helps our chances,"she said last week.
This article appears in Sep 9-15, 2010.