Bill Rufty
The holiday season is a time of giving, and Boynton Beach Republican Mark Freeman has promised to gift his campaign for Florida’s 18th Congressional District $1 million of his own money.
Originally planning a run for the 22nd Congressional District, Freeman, an orthopedic surgeon, has entered a very crowded race for Congress to replace Congressman Patrick Murphy, who is running for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate.
There are big names and big money, but the crowded race doesn’t bother him, Freeman said — not with $1 million to spend on his race and his hiring of Polk County Republican activist Linda Ivell to coordinate his campaign.
Some 10 Republicans and, depending on what day it is, four or five Democrats are vying for the job. The 18th Congressional District includes contains St. Lucie and Martin counties and part of Palm Beach County.
Freeman, a first-time candidate, had a rough start earlier this year when a $200,000 check was donated by a friend and had to be returned as way over the limit.
A strong conservative, he is mentioned briefly on the website Tea Party Cheer. The group has not endorsed anyone.
He is not the only one filled with the spirit of giving this time of year — or this election cycle. Millionaire businessman Randy Perkins, a Delray Beach Democrat, recently donated $1 million to his favorite cause: his own campaign.
And then there are the brand names. Rebecca Negron, Martin County school board member, is one of the candidates crowding into the Republican minivan for the 18th Congressional District. Her husband, of course, is Sen. Joe Negron, considered the next president of the Florida Senate.
In bringing Ivell of Lakeland on board, Freeman has canceled out some of the opponents’ advantage of early name recognition and early money.
Ivell is a former state committeewoman from Polk County and a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 2008 and 2012. In the 2008 convention in Minneapolis, she served on the national rules committee.
Ivell also served as a recruiter of local GOP candidates and, among other candidates, was county campaign manager for the Newt Gingrich presidential campaign.
“You see in Dr. Freeman a compassionate conservative,” Ivell said. “He makes life and death decisions daily and he deals firsthand with Obamacare and the mess that is in Washington.”
