Shapiro wins Democratic primary, will face Buchanan in November

Democrats have chosen David Shapiro to take on Rep. Vern Buchanan in the upcoming general election in Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

Jan Schneider led a mostly self-funded campaign and was beat out by Shapiro, who managed to earn about 55 percent of voter support. Shapiro previously ran for a congressional seat in 2006 but was defeated by about 700 votes in the general election.

In Manatee and Hillsborough, the race was neck and neck, though Shapiro edged out Schneider in both counties. A lead of about 5,000 votes and 63 percent of voter support in Sarasota seemed to seal his victory.

In the weeks leading up to the primary election, Shapiro and Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, seemed poised to take on one another, trading direct attacks outside of offices and in campaign commercials. The Sarasota lawyer will officially go head-to-head with Buchanan on Nov. 6.

Shapiro previously told the Bradenton Herald that Buchanan’s early attacks show that “he’s scared.” In this election cycle, Buchanan didn’t run any negative ads against Schneider, who he defeated in the 2016 general election with 60 percent of the vote.

Buchanan, a six-term congressman, may have valid cause for concern, according to national pollsters, some of whom have suggested the 16th District may flip to Democrats. As of Tuesday evening, however, FiveThirtyEight, a political analysis website, gave Buchanan a 90 percent chance of being re-elected, but Shapiro isn’t slowing his campaign efforts.

“We’re going to get up in the morning and get straight to work. The fun begins tomorrow morning,” Shapiro said shortly after his victory was declared Tuesday night. “We’re going to do what we’ve been doing and increase our tempo.”

The results of the primary may have made the November showdown between the two candidates official, but they’ve already thrown plenty of mud. On Thursday, Shapiro held a small protest with about 50 of his supporters on the steps outside Buchanan’s Sarasota office.

In a speech given at the demonstration, he demanded the incumbent congressman release the terms of a multimillion loan used to purchase a luxury yacht on the same day he voted to pass the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Shapiro said it was concerning that Buchanan, who helped write the bill, accepted a loan from a bank that had lobbied for tax reform.

Buchanan’s campaign says there’s plenty to be concerned about on Shapiro’s end, too. In the past few weeks, he’s run a smear campaign targeting Shapiro’s “dirty stocks” in companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, a few companies recently named as some of the world’s biggest producers of industrial emissions by the Climate Accountability Institute.

Shapiro’s campaign promise of “protecting our land,” according to his website, could be undermined by those stock holdings, said Max Goodman, Buchanan’s campaign manager. In response, Shapiro pointed out Buchanan’s acceptance of more than $100,000 in donations from sugar companies over the course of his political career.

Those donations have contributed to Buchanan’s massive lead in cash on hand compared to his opponent, according to the Federal Election Commission. As of Aug. 8, Shapiro had about $440,000 on hand, while Buchanan wielded a commanding $2.1 million in cash.

Goodman noted that it appeared Shapiro had a difficult time knocking off Schneider.

“He outspent his opponent 10:1. He had every advantage, endorsement and had the entire Washington establishment backing,” said Goodman, referencing the support that Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put behind Shapiro. “And he cannot even eclipse 60 percent? It is shocking and embarrassing.”

Shapiro shrugged off the numbers and said he was only concerned with moving forward.

“I say a win is a win. We live in crazy times and I wasn’t expecting a certain outcome,” he said. “We’re happy with the win and feel pretty good about it.”

Shapiro is running on a platform that includes “common-sense gun reform,” affordable healthcare and protecting seniors and veterans. Buchanan’s campaign ideas are further tax cuts, retirement security and creation of jobs by providing small businesses with the resources they need.

The Florida 16th Congressional District encompasses all of Manatee and parts of Sarasota and Hillsborough counties.

This story was originally published August 28, 2018 at 8:33 PM.