Peter Schorsch
Some might find it hard to believe that one year ago North Florida Democrat Gwen Graham defeated Tea Party favorite Steve Southerland for her first term in Congress.
As for Graham, it’s been quite the year, she says in a new email to supporters; one filled with a series of struggles: defending Medicare and Social Security, as well as protecting North Florida natural resources.
With that, at the halfway mark, she gives thanks for all the people who stuck by her (and continue to do so).
“Above all,” Graham writes, “I’ve been fighting every day to bring the North Florida Way to Washington and work across the aisle to put an end to the dysfunction and gridlock in Congress.”
With one year down, and another to go, Graham will be forced to tackle her biggest challenge yet: a new political geography that almost guarantees a Democrat will face a tough – if not impossible – campaign road in 2016.
“I know there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Graham says. “But if we accomplished all of this in just a year, I can only imagine the great progress we can make together in the year ahead.”
Few politicians have worked harder than Graham for her successes, and she is undoubtedly grateful for the support earned along the way. She is certainly going to need it, especially if Graham chooses to remain in Congress past 2016.
