Mitch Perry
Bob Buesing says, based on the issues, he’s a better fit for those who reside in the newly created state Senate District 18 in Hillsborough County.
Senate District 18 is considered a swing district that leans Democratic, and was created out of the Supreme Court-mandated redistricting of all Senate districts last year.
“Let’s have conversations in a general election in front of all the electorate, instead of just the closed primaries in gerrymandered districts. That’s healthier for the state,” Buesing said in praising the 2010 Fair Districts Amendments, which ultimately led to the newly drawn up Senate districts in 2015.
In an appearance at the weekly “Cafe Con Tampa” series at Hugo’s Restaurant in South Tampa, Buesing laid out his ideological differences with Republican Dana Young, and said her views are out of the mainstream of the district.
“I believe I represent the commonsense, moderate values of this district,” he said. “My opponent, I believe, represents extreme values that are not consistent with this district.”
To back up his point, he mentioned Young’s support for the two major gun bills that were thwarted in the Senate last session — one allowing guns on Florida colleges and universities, the other allowing for the open carry of firearms.
Like most Florida Democrats, Buesing supports expanding Medicaid, and chastised Young for opposing that proposal in recent years. Buesing mentioned how the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Medical Association and various other advocacy groups also support Medicaid expansion.
“So everybody’s in favor of it, you’d think, but not my opponent. And that decision alone is part of the motivation of me running,” he said.
Buesing also chided Young for supporting a bill (HB 191) in the Florida House that authorized hydraulic fracking, and also prevented local governments from banning the controversial practice (the bill failed in the Senate). “I think that’s dead wrong,” Buesing said. “My opponent and I have a complete disagreement on that. I think local control of that type of decision … we should get to judge this.”
The 61-year-old Buesing has been an attorney and advocate of early childhood learning for a long time in Tampa, but he said it was only after local Democrats asked him to consider running for the newly created Senate District 18 seat that he thought of becoming a lawmaker in Tallahassee.
Former state Sen. Sam Bell was the first to ask him, he said, followed by Betty Castor, Kathy Castor, Jim Davis, and Alex Sink. “I surrender,” he joked about succumbing to the world of politics.
To the casual observer, Young would seem to be the favorite in the race, with her considerable financial resources and her higher name recognition factor, since she’s been on the ballot in HD 60 (whose lines are similar to SD 18 in South Tampa and western Hillsborough County) three previous times. But Buesing says, actually, her name recognition is not that formidable, saying an internal poll his campaign conducted early on gave her only 11 percent name recognition, versus his nine percent.
Buesing attributed that low number to the fact that after Young defeated the late Stacy Frank in 2010, the Democrats haven’t fielded a candidate against her in the past two election cycles, generating less news about her.
“The way a less-funded candidate beats a better-funded candidate is grassroots, walking, by presenting something different … and in my case, emphasizing the clear differences that we have on some of these critical issues. I think I’m a better match for the district.”
The Young campaign did not return our request for comment.
Officials with “Cafe Con Tampa” say they are working on having Young speak before the group sometime before the Nov. 8 election.
