Rep. Buchanan wins re-election to U.S. House seat in one of his closest races yet

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan defeated David Shapiro to keep his seat representing Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

Tuesday night’s results have been a long time coming, as the candidates started going head to head before Shapiro had even won the Democratic nomination in August. The Republican congressman admitted that his contest against Shapiro was the toughest he’s had in years.

Since he was elected in 2006, Buchanan has been able to coast into re-election. His closest race since then came in 2012, when he earned 53.6 percent of the vote to beat Democrat Keith Fitzgerald. This year, Buchanan received 54.6 percent of the vote against Shapiro.

“I’m honored to be the people’s voice in Congress for another two years. I will continue to fight for the issues this district cares about — protecting Medicare and Social Security, veterans benefits, confronting opioid abuse, stopping animal cruelty and preserving our pristine ocean and beaches,” Buchanan said.

Both candidates spent their days campaigning and meetings with voters at local precincts. They rallied at their respective Election Day watch parties in downtown Sarasota Tuesday night. Shapiro called to concede the race and congratulate Buchanan before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

“This was a spirited campaign that focused on the issues facing our families and neighbors, and I’m proud of the race we ran. This campaign stood for something,” Shapiro said in a statement. “We fought for healthcare, Social Security, Medicare and our environment. We fought for the rights of others and to make our government more just and fair. I want to thank everyone who supported my candidacy and who volunteered their time and energies to help spread our message. Your support is deeply appreciated and valued by me and my family.”

In an interview Tuesday night, Buchanan said he was impressed with the results, considering how dark money groups ran ads on Shapiro’s behalf, outspending the Republican campaign.

“I think in this environment, we’re shocked we did as well as we did,” Buchanan explained. “My thought is that we delivered for the district, especially in Manatee County, and that’s what showed today.”

Shapiro, 59, ran on a platform advocating “common-sense” gun reform, protecting Florida’s environment and fighting for Social Security and an expansion of Medicare. Buchanan, 67, also said he wanted to preserve Social Security and Medicare, but noted that helping small businesses and implementing more tax cuts were some of his top priorities.

Buchanan recently had his 16th legislative bill signed into law by President Donald Trump. During his time as congressman, he has fought to ban offshore drilling, tackled the opioid crisis and helped write the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.

This year’s congressional race drew national attention from the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee, which funneled dollars and support to Shapiro in an effort to flip the Republican-leaning district that covers all of Manatee and part of Sarasota and Hillsborough counties.

But Shapiro’s campaign was out-raised and outspent by Buchanan, who reeled in about $2.8 million in campaign donations and spent $3.8 million. Shapiro drew in $2.4 million and spent $2.1 million, according to campaign finance records.

As the Bradenton-Sarasota area’s congressman for the past 12 years, Shapiro hoped to exploit Buchanan’s voting record, which he called proof of the fact that the Republican is “only fighting for himself.” Buchanan argued that Shapiro’s stock holdings undermined his environmental platform.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 8:54 PM.