Jacob Ogles
Over an 18-year congressional career, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan hasn’t gone a cycle without opposition, either in the form of a Primary or a Democrat opposing him in the General Election.
This year, he has both.
He must contend first with a Republican Primary challenge by Inspiration Academy founder Eddie Speir, a Bradenton Republican hoping to seize on anti-establishment energy. Republicans in Florida’s 16th Congressional District will weigh in on Aug. 20 whether they want Buchanan to complete a second decade serving Southwest Florida in Washington.
Buchanan has brushed off accusations he’s not conservative enough for the job.
“There is a reason Donald Trump, the local sheriffs, and Republican firebrands like Matt Gaetz, Byron Donalds and Anna Paulina Luna have endorsed our campaign – because they know I will never stop working for the people of Southwest Florida and the country,” he said. “Whether it’s a broken border, increased cost-of-living or spikes in violent crime, we need conservative fighters who will reject the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration and restore the American Dream.”
There’s also a Democratic Primary between two local lawyers, Trent Miller and Jan Schneider. But especially after redistricting put the most liberal bastions of Sarasota outside the district, the GOP Primary will be the marquee contest on Tuesday.
That’s reflected in the money spent so far on the race. Through the end of July, Speir spent nearly $406,000 on the contest, most of that out of pocket, while Buchanan pumped out close to $1.5 million.
Last cycle, the incumbent beat Sarasota Republican Martin Hyde with a staggering 86% of the Primary vote, but sources close to the campaign acknowledge that may be a hard margin to repeat.
Buchanan, Republican Co-Chair of Florida’s congressional delegation, spent significant funds stressing his effectiveness in Congress. A TV ad that went on air recounted the incumbent has passed 33 bills under four Presidents.
“He’s done it for our veterans, for our seniors, for our children, for Southwest Florida,” a narrator says in the ad.
At the same time, Speir has tried to use Buchanan’s long record as a cudgel, painting the nine-term House member as an establishment politician. Speir painted himself, meanwhile, as the ultimate outsider — and plenty of Republican leaders in Manatee have distanced themselves from him as a result.
The private school founder’s first taste of media attention came when Gov. Ron DeSantis included him among trustee appointments in a headline-making conservative makeover of New College of Florida. Amid heavy scrutiny, the Florida Senate confirmed all of DeSantis’ appointments except one: Speir.
He’s fought since then with members of the Manatee County Commission, the DeSantis-appointed Supervisor of Elections and the Republican Party for a neighboring county, where Republican leaders denied him a speaking slot at a rally where Buchanan enjoyed high billing.
“Somebody’s got to stand up and let people know that RINOs, while they’re pretending like they’re standing up for the rights, that’s not the case,” Speir told press outside that event.
In the meantime, Speir fought with press as his use of private school resources and family members to run his campaign drew questions. He has responded by accusing news outlets and local Republican clubs of being paid off by Buchanan and his team.
Buchanan hasn’t wrestled with any local organizations, though he has been involved in his share of fights in Washington.
The senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee was snubbed after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and allies on a GOP steering committee named Missouri U.S. Rep. Jason Smith as Chair. That prompted a reportedly colorful (and for most publications unprintable) exchange with the Speaker on the floor.
After McCarthy’s ouster, Buchanan favored Majority Leader Steve Scalise as a replacement, but when that bid fell apart, Buchanan played a key role in scuttling Freedom Caucus favorite Jim Jordan’s bid for a takeover.
Buchanan ultimately could be seen alongside Speaker Mike Johnson when the Louisiana Republican emerged from a GOP conference meeting as a unanimous choice for new Speaker. Soon, Buchanan hosted Johnson in Florida for a first major fundraiser for the party leader, bringing in $1.4 million and helping silence wide concerns on the new House leader’s ability to rally dollars. That money this Fall could make the difference on whether Republicans keep control of the chamber in November.
On the Democratic side, Schneider could serve as a familiar foil to Buchanan in the Fall. She has run for Congress in the Sarasota-Bradenton area even longer than Buchanan, earning national attention when she challenged former U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, then later running against Buchanan on repeated occasions, including in 2022.
But Miller jumped into the race this cycle. The founding President of the Lakewood Ranch Democrats Club has outspent Schneider this cycle. Still, that means Miller through July spent more than $32,000 to Schneider’s $14,000, a fraction of the burn rate on the GOP side.
Buchanan has faced Primary and General Election challenges in the past and has come out strong. He won his first election in 2006, edging Democrat Christine Jennings by a razor-thin 369-vote margin, but since then has become a mainstay in regional politics.
