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Republican Attorney General Candidates Court Party's Conservative Base August 5, 2010 -- The Republican primary for attorney general is not really a race about differences in legal approach, since the candidates share many of the same philosophies on major legal issues. Instead, the race has turned to questions of who is more conservative and who is the "true" Republican. Click here to listen to Carson Cooper’s story. It is a tough spot for two of the three candidates in the Aug. 24 Republican primary. They both served in the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist, who is not exactly winning popularity contests among the party faithful these days. The association led Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp to tout his "rock-solid" conservative record. "I've continued to fight for the same principles I fought for my whole life," Kottkamp said. "I've been active in the Republican Party for 30 years. The people that know me know my track record." Former Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson used a similar argument to distance herself from her former boss. "I believe that voters will continue to judge me by my record," Benson said. "I have remained true to my conservative principles of less government, lower taxes, less regulation, [and] more freedom." Even though she has no direct ties to Crist, this game of "who's Republican enough" also has caught up to the race's third candidate, former Hillsborough County Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi, who has deflected criticism for not voting in the 2000 primary election and for being registered as a Democrat in the 1980s and '90s. "Frankly, political party never mattered that much to me when I was younger. I voted on my values," Bondi said. "Now I have changed my party [registration] over a decade ago to be a Republican, and I supported Ronald Reagan and I supported Jeb Bush." Kottkamp is a Cape Coral lawyer who served three terms in the state House before Crist picked him to be lieutenant governor. Benson represented Pensacola for six years in the House before she resigned to be become Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and later, the Agency for Health Care Administration. She left that job to hit the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Bondi campaigns as the outsider. She is a career prosecutor in Tampa who's worked as an assistant state attorney for 18 years and has never held elected office. She also appears regularly on cable TV as a legal analyst and commentator. Many observers consider her a favorite among tea party voters. On several major issues, the three candidates go along with Attorney General Bill McCollum's initiatives. For instance, they have endorsed McCollum's lawsuit challenging the federal health care overhaul. "The legislation passed on health care violates the Constitution and the Attorney General of Florida has the legal obligation to challenge it, to fight for the people of Florida," Kottkamp said. The federal government cannot require people to buy health insurance, he said. Bondi noted that Democrats have compared the federal health care plan to Medicare. But "Medicare is primarily through payroll deductions and you do not have to participate in it," Bondi said. "That's the difference." The candidates also expressed support for McCollum on Arizona's immigration law. Arizona had to step in because the federal government has failed to stop illegal immigration, they said. "I've heard from voters all across the state that they're very concerned,” Benson said. Bondi said she wants to review any Arizona-style law to ensure it would protect against racial profiling and arbitrary police stops. Kottkamp suggested a different approach. "The taxpayers of Florida are incurring millions of dollars in expenses every year in our jails, in our emergency rooms because the federal government is failing to secure our borders," Kottkamp said. "I think we should sue the federal government and get the taxpayers' money back." |
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