Christine Jennings
U.S. House, FL
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Unfinished business. In 2006, Democrat Christine Jennings narrowly lost her bid to replace Republican Katherine Harris in Florida’s 13th congressional district. After weeks of dispute, Jennings’s opponent, GOP millionaire and used car salesman Vern Buchanan, was declared the winner by just 369 votes. Jennings quickly began campaigning for a rematch against Buchanan, a right-wing Republican stalwart with a history of shady business dealings. This was the most expensive congressional contest of 2006, with Buchanan outspending Jennings more than two to one. She must raise between $3.5 and $4 million to oust Buchanan and take over this GOP seat.
A dedicated leader with bipartisan appeal. After the 2006 election, Jennings led the fight to pass a state law eliminating touch-screen voting machines and requiring a paper trail -- a model for national election reform. A pioneer for women in business, Jennings worked her way up from teller to bank president, while dedicating herself to civic leadership in the arts, education, and economic development. Her dedication to improving the quality of life in Sarasota has created a deep reservoir of goodwill that transcends party lines and makes her competitive in this GOP-leaning district.
A far-right congressman. In reforming Florida’s election law, Jennings has accomplished more outside of Congress than Buchanan has inside. He voted against federal funding for stem-cell research and against setting a timetable for bringing troops home from Iraq. And Buchanan has reiterated his extreme opposition to abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger. This district has been trending Democratic. Between Buchanan’s right-wing record and Jennings’s bipartisan appeal, it is ripe for takeover.
More About Christine Jennings
In 2006, banker Christine Jennings narrowly lost a highly disputed election for Florida’s 13th congressional district to multimillionaire used car salesman Vern Buchanan, a right-wing GOP insider with a history of financial misdeeds and legal problems. Buchanan’s 369-vote victory came amid allegations that malfunctioning electronic voting machines failed to register 18,000 votes in Sarasota, Jennings’ home base. Buchanan was seated in Congress, and Jennings declared she would run again in 2008. Since then, Buchanan has amply demonstrated his loyalty to the Republican leadership and continued to defend himself against charges of illegal activity relating to his businesses.
A right-wing ideologue, Buchanan has voted with the GOP in favor of continuing the war in Iraq and giving tax breaks to oil and gas companies. He voted against expanding Medicare for low-income seniors and against pay-as-you-go policies to restore fiscal responsibility to the federal budget. Buchanan voted against federal funding for life-saving stem cell research and has reiterated his extreme opposition to abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger.
Jennings is a trailblazer with a long history of community involvement. At a time when women executives were rare, she worked her way up the corporate ladder from bank teller to president, ultimately founding a community bank and serving as its CEO, president, and board chair. During her 40-year career as a banker, Jennings made a priority of reaching out to underserved communities and bringing economic development and jobs to Sarasota. She has served on the boards of countless cultural, civic, and business associations and won awards from the United Negro College Fund and the National Council of Jewish Women for her efforts. Her dedication to building a vibrant local economy has created a deep reservoir of good will that transcends party lines, making her a formidable contender for this GOP-leaning district.
After the 2006 election, Jennings made it her mission to reform Florida elections, working with the legislature to pass a law eliminating touch screen voting machines and requiring a paper trail so voters can verify that their ballots are correct. This law has become a national model and Jennings has been called a “patron saint” of election reform.
The Political Situation
Jennings and Buchanan are vying for the seat once held by Republican Katherine Harris, who as Florida’s secretary of state helped throw the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. The district has been trending Democratic and is seen as a prime takeover opportunity -- partly due to Jennings’ moderate views and high profile as a champion of election reform, and partly to Buchanan’s tarnished image and hard-right conservatism. She has been placed on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program for Democrats running in targeted Republican seats.
Buchanan has long been plagued with legal problems resulting from failed businesses, jilted franchisées, and defaulted loans. He once lied about his identity to avoid a process server and was chased by the IRS for eight years for more than $8 million in unpaid back taxes. He continues to be dogged by allegations of financial impropriety, including charges that he cheated customers at one of his car dealerships and illegally funneled corporate contributions to his campaign.
In spite of his checkered past, Buchanan is a key member of the GOP establishment. He is the former co-chair of the Republican National Committee’s finance committee and was the state finance chair for GOP Sen. Mel Martinez’s 2004 campaign -- roles that helped him establish connections to major donors. He is an aggressive fundraiser who, in addition to personally investing more than $5 million in his 2006 campaign (more than any other self-funding House candidate), raised an additional $3 million. This was the single most expensive House contest of 2006 and is on track to be at or near the top again in the 2008 election.
Jennings is getting strong support for her campaign from community leaders who value her history of service and record of accomplishments, as well as from national election reform advocates who appreciate her commitment to change and know she will help deliver the change this country needs. She’s been endorsed by Bob Graham, Florida’s former governor and three-term U.S. Senator, as well as by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the Human Rights Campaign. Her strong union support includes the AFL-CIO, SEIU, the American Federation of Teachers, and the United Auto Workers. But it will take considerable financial resources to unseat an incredibly wealthy, well-funded incumbent who will receive every possible benefit as a GOP insider. Jennings must raise between $3.5 and $4 million to defeat Buchanan and strengthen the Democratic majority in Congress.
The Issues
“Nobody in Congress will work harder than me to bring Republicans and Democrats together to focus on the needs of the public rather than special interests,” Jennings says. “We need a new direction in Iraq and on so many other issues facing our country. We need to make health insurance more affordable… fund stem cell research…create economic policies that help those who need it most…and ensure that we fulfill our obligations to our nation’s veterans.”
A vocal and award-winning advocate for quality education in her own community, Jennings will fight in Congress to improve public schools, which she calls “the foundation of opportunity in America.” Noting the millions of children in failing schools, she says, “No Child Left Behind’s funding was left behind. We need to increase teacher pay and training, and increase the HOPE tax credit to make higher education more affordable.”
“Having worked my way from bank teller to bank president in an era when female executives were rare, I understand the extra hurdles that working women face, particularly when trying to balance career and family,” she says. The federal government can help working families by expanding family and medical leave and extending tax credits to those caring for elderly relatives.
Jennings will advocate for economic policy that creates more opportunity for ordinary Americans and helps bring the federal budget into balance. “Today’s middle class Americans aren’t just struggling to keep up with the Joneses, they’re struggling to keep up with their bills,” she says. “Home ownership, college education, and the price of gasoline are placing more and more stress on America’s families.” She will fight to bring tax relief to those who need it most and to restore fiscal restraint in Congress through pay-as-you-go policies. Trade agreements must ensure that Americans are operating on a level playing field with partners and include provisions to protect workers’ rights in the U.S. and abroad.
In Congress, Jennings will work with Democrats and likeminded Republicans to bring an end to the war in Iraq. “We cannot address terrorism or the war until we create a new strategy that unites our allies and restores America’s position as a trusted world leader,” she says. The nation’s top defense spending priorities are protecting citizens, securing ports, and ensuring our interests abroad. But Congress must carefully monitor defense contracts to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and well.
“We must root out racial inequalities in our system and create a society where discrimination is unacceptable,” says Jennings, who supports stronger penalties for hate crimes, anti-bullying legislation, and aggressive prosecution of workplace discrimination. “Fair and accurate elections are the cornerstone of democracy, and the ballot box is the number one tool for working women and families to counter the influence of special interests,” she says. “That will always be one of my top priorities.”
“The most important thing we can do to prevent crime is create a stronger, more inclusive education system that will prevent kids from turning to crime in the first place,” says Jennings. “We must also spur economic opportunity and create jobs. But even the best schools and economy won’t completely eliminate crime, so we must ensure that our police and public safety officials are well-trained, well-equipped, and well-paid.”
With 47 million Americans uninsured, Jennings says, “Health care should not be an exclusive privilege for the few; it is a fundamental necessity for all Americans.” In Congress, she will seek tax breaks for small businesses that provide insurance for employees, and will back legislation to allow the federal government to negotiate directly with drug companies to lower prescription drug prices. Expanding access to health care is also critical to reducing poverty in America, she notes. “Many families are just one illness away from poverty or bankruptcy,” she says.
Jennings’s top environmental priorities are expanding alternative energy sources and improving the efficiency of traditional ones, “to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and secure the future of our planet.”
As a member of Congress, Jennings will protect and defend reproductive freedom.
July 2008