Democrats try to recapture '18 magic in Sarasota state House race as GOP tries to flip seat

Sep. 28--Joe Biden made robocalls for the Democratic candidate, President Donald Trump's first campaign manager stumped for the Republican, and for a brief moment a low-profile state House district representing northern Sarasota County was at the center of national politics.

The final result -- an upset win by Democrat Margaret Good in a district Trump carried -- was viewed as a national bellwether, showing Democrats had momentum in 2018 that they eventually used to reclaim the majority in the U.S. House.

But Good has moved on to running for Congress and Democrats face the tough task of trying to hold onto her GOP-leaning legislative seat in a 2020 contest that has a much different dynamic than two years ago.

Sarasota attorney Drake Buckman entered the race to try to keep the District 72 seat blue, facing off against GOP Navy veteran Fiona McFarland in a match-up of first time candidates.

Good had the advantage of running in a special election when her race was the only one on the ballot and it was easier to attract national attention. Democrats from around the country poured money into the contest to make a statement.

Buckman hasn't been able to match Good's fundraising as Democrats struggle to recapture the magic that put the District 72 race in the spotlight, but the contest still is one of the most competitive in the region this year and Buckman says he has the firepower to pull off a win.

"Margaret is one of the best fundraisers in the country, period ... Following her in fundraising is like being the batter behind Babe Ruth," he said, before adding: "I can still hit the home runs."

Buckman's fundraising may be a fraction of Good's, but he has emulated her in other ways, taking centrist positions on certain issues such as police reforms and immigration as he tries to appeal to a broad electorate.

Standing in his way is McFarland, who narrowly won a bruising primary after also tacking to the center on the issue of racial justice and being pilloried by a GOP opponent as anti-police. That dust-up gave her some centrist credentials that could be helpful in the general election, and she posited that her military background and respect for opposing views may be helping her connect more broadly.

"I feel as though my candidacy is resonating with a lot of people, whether it's because I'm a veteran or they see me putting in the hard work or I'm approachable," she said.

Meanwhile both campaigns have been forced to adjust their focus as the coronavirus and racial unrest have dominated political debates. Both issues will be front and center in the Legislature next year and whoever wins the race will be a leading voice for the region in these debates.

This is not the race Buckman, 52, expected to run.

A Jacksonville native who moved to Sarasota in the late 1990s and opened a law practice with his wife, Buckman was motivated to run for office by the devastating 2018 red tide bloom and his worries that the community he loves is being destroyed.

Buckman talks passionately about environmental issues but concedes they've taken a back seat to the coronavirus pandemic, which has been all consuming.

"Red tide is a small "c" catastrophe compared to what we have going on right now in COVID," Buckman said. "That was my pre-COVID reason for wanting to be a representative. Now what I'm seeing is the same bungling with red tide, the same inability to lead."

A harsh critic of Gov. Ron DeSantis' management of the coronavirus crisis, Buckman said the governor has mishandled everything from testing to mask-wearing and reopening schools.

"The governor doesn't act because his future is based on pleasing Donald Trump," Buckman said. "This race isn't about Donald Trump."

Buckman believes there should be a statewide mask mandate. He wants coronavirus testing at every school. He wants more contact tracing. What he doesn't want is to roll back the reopening effort.

"I think we should be open," he said. "People have the right to make a living and move around society freely, but we need to have some basic rules."

On the issue of racial unrest, Buckman also has tried to strike a balance between extremes, sympathizing with peaceful protesters while opposing defunding the police and criticizing the rioting and looting that has followed some protests.

Yet Buckman declined to take a position on the governor's proposed legislation aimed at "combating violence, disorder and looting." It includes nearly a dozen changes to state law, establishing new or enhanced penalties for everything from "toppling monuments" to harassing someone in a restaurant and being involved in a demonstration that causes "damage to property or injury to other persons."

"If it's brought to me I would have to look at the specifics," Buckman said of the bill, which many Democrats have strongly criticized.

Good opposed a blanket $15 statewide minimum wage we she ran in 2018, but Buckman is in favor of the constitutional amendment that will go before voters this year. He believes it will be a net positive for the economy.

The wage issue is popular with Democrats and Buckman also is closely aligned with his party on the issue of abortion, saying he strongly supports abortion rights and opposed the parental consent law passed by the Legislature this year that requires a minor to get approval for an abortion. It is an issue he has seen up close.

As an attorney, Buckman was appointed by judges to represent three juveniles in court who became pregnant by their fathers and said "they all made separate decisions about what do with the pregnancy."

"I will always stand up for the reproductive rights and the reproductive freedoms of the citizens of the state of Florida," he said.

But when it comes to immigration, Buckman is in agreement with Florida GOP leaders who pushed another hotly debated bill this year that sought to force businesses to use an E-verify system to confirm that their employees are in the country legally.

"My views are relatively straightforward: you need to be here legally to work," he said.

Buckman has a limited budget to get his views out, though, with $95,904 raised so far, compared to Good's special election haul of nearly half a million. The Florida Democratic Party has helped some, but to a lesser extent than what Good received.

But Buckman said he is "directly on budget where we need to be to get our message out" and his nearly six figure campaign haul is still significant.

Meanwhile, McFarland is trying to replenish her campaign account after spending more than $200,000 to win her primary race by just 263 votes.

The low-key GOP primary blew up after McFarland made statements implying she sympathized with the concerns about racial justice voiced by protesters after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

"It's important that I say these words today, which is that Black lives matter," McFarland said during a Sarasota Tiger Bay forum. "Police also matter, law enforcement matter. I am telling you today that Black lives matter and I support law enforcement, and I am of the mind that those two ideas are not mutually exclusive."

A GOP opponent of McFarland's, Sarasota business owner Donna Barcomb, pounced on the comments, calling them "a universal cry from the left to defund the police."

Conservatives have become increasingly skeptical of Black lives matter protests and McFarland's comments may have hurt her in the primary, but they could give her broader appeal in the general election.

Asked if she stands by what she said about Black lives matter, McFarland said "yeah."

"I love the diversity in this country," she said, pointing to her experience serving with diverse group of people in the Navy.

But she also was quick to emphasize her support for police and is standing behind DeSantis as he pushes his bill cracking down on "violence, disorder and looting," a proposal critics believe would criminalize and discourage peaceful protests.

Hundreds of Sarasota protesters blocked traffic when they marched in the streets after Floyd, who was Black, died when a white police officer kneeled on his neck. Asked about making blocking traffic during an unpermitted protest a felony, McFarland said, "I support the Governor's proposal." People can get a permit if they want to protest legally, she said.

McFarland also believes DeSantis is doing a good job responding to the coronavirus, which has infected nearly 700,000 Florida residents and killed nearly 14,000. She supports his recent moves to reopen schools and bars, and she opposes a statewide mask mandate.

"I would prefer for masks to be left up to the individual or the employer, and I would like to keep government out of that," she said.

In addition to supporting the governor, McFarland stands with Trump. That's the number one question people ask her when she knocks on their door.

"I say I support the commander in chief; that doesn't necessarily mean I agree with everything he says or everything he does but I do support the president," she said.

Donald Trump Jr. tweeted an endorsement of McFarland in early August, which may have helped her in the primary.

"Fiona McFarland has the military service and conservative credentials Florida needs," Trump Jr. tweeted.

Just as she has embraced Trump, McFarland largely embraces conservative views on everything from guns to abortion. That hasn't always been the case for Republicans representing District 72.

Former GOP state Rep. Alex Miller supported abortion rights, while former state Rep. Ray Pilon voted against some pro-gun and anti-abortion legislation and was in favor of Medicaid expansion.

Asked about expanding background checks to cover more gun purchases, a broadly popular concept that is backed by Republicans such as U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, McFarland said "I would not support expansion of those, frankly because I'm not sure that it's helpful."

When it comes to abortion, McFarland said she opposes the procedure in all circumstances except cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is at risk. She also opposes raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

But more than any individual issue, McFarland has emphasized her record of service.

McFarland, 34, has leaned heavily on her Navy record as she pitches herself as someone with understand what it means to serve others.

A New York City native, she lived there until she was 14 before moving to Connecticut. She attended the United States Naval Academy and her first assignment after graduation found her in command of 30 sailors in the main propulsion division of a guided missile destroyer.

McFarland spent eight years on active duty and currently serves in the U.S. Navy Reserve. She comes from a family with a history of public service.

McFarland's mother, K.T. McFarland, was Trump's deputy national security adviser during the start of his administration but left after Michael Flynn stepped down as national security adviser and H.R. McMaster took over the job. Before that she was a Fox News national security analyst and worked in a number of Republican presidential administrations.

Those connections have helped Fiona McFarland, who is married with a young child, raise money. She has collected $306,637 through her campaign account and an affiliated political committee, more than triple Buckman's fundraising. Much of that was spent during the primary, but the Florida GOP and House leadership is likely to help her down the stretch.

Buckman, meanwhile, is pointing to his involvement in the Sarasota community, where he raised three children who all graduated from Riverview High School. He spent years volunteering for Riverview's Kiltie Band.

Both of Buckman's daughters and a son-in-law now work at the family law firm.

While McFarland has collected checks of up to $10,000 from out of state political donors, Buckman has more than 900 individual contributions, most from the Sarasota region. He has tried to paint McFarland, who moved to the region in 2018, as a newcomer who doesn't understand the community.

"It's a definite distinction in this race between someone who understands the district and someone who had to have the district explained to her," Buckman said.

Barcomb tried to make the same argument in the primary.

"I'm put off by the criticism a little bit that you need to be from a place to love it and want to serve it," McFarland said. "The Navy is the example I have of what service looks like ... our diversity of backgrounds and experiences is what made us great representatives of the country as we went abroad, the same can be true of state government."

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