Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R)

The congressman from the 9th District is Gus Bilirakis, a Republican elected in 2006 to succeed his father, 12-term Republican Rep. Michael Bilirakis. Bilirakis (bil-uh-RACK-iss) joined Republican Connie Mack and Democrat Kendrick Meek in the Florida delegation as members who followed a parent into Congress. Bilirakis remembers stuffing envelopes at age seven for Republican Louis “Skip” Bafalis, who lost his 1970 bid for governor but was elected to five terms in Congress. In college, Bilirakis interned in the Reagan White House and went on to earn a law degree from Stetson University. He worked for former Rep. Don Sundquist, a Republican who went on to become Tennessee’s governor, and later was a probate lawyer and estate planner. In 1998, he was elected to the first of four terms in the Florida House. Bilirakis’ career has always been closely tied to his father’s. (On Election Day 2002, the two were campaigning together on a street corner when a driver lost control of his car and struck the younger Bilirakis, leaving him with bruises and just missing his father.)

When Michael Bilirakis decided not to seek a 13th term, his son was presumed to be the favorite for the seat and drew only nominal opposition for the Republican nomination. Gus Bilirakis was not shy about running on the family name. He appeared on the ballot as Gus Michael Bilirakis and raised money from many political action committees that supported his father, who had had a seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Bilirakis’s campaign website praised his father’s patriotism and integrity and declared, “There is no one better suited to carry on the mission than Gus, who has been instilled with these vital attributes.”

Democrats recruited Phyllis Busansky, a former 8-year member of the Hillsborough County Commission and the first executive director of the state’s welfare-to-work program. Busansky played up her background in health care and senior citizens’ issues. Bilirakis pointed to his own credentials as a lawyer who specialized in elder law. In the Legislature, he had also spearheaded legislation supporting community health care centers that treat the uninsured. Bilirakis’ soft-spoken style contrasted with Busansky’s assertive personality. She ran television ads portraying Bilirakis as a follower and accused him of ducking public debate and relying heavily on his father’s reputation. She trailed in the polls for much of the campaign, but gained some momentum in October after criticizing Bilirakis for his “deep and lucrative ties” to GOP leaders who had early knowledge of sexually explicit emails sent by disgraced Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida to congressional pages but who had failed to act. The national Republican Party did not leave this race to chance. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker Dennis Hastert all stumped for Bilirakis and helped him raise money. He outspent Busansky $2.6 million to $1.4 million, and won 56%-44%.

In the House, Bilirakis established a voting record placing him near the center of House Republicans. He distanced himself from partisan fights and focused on his legislative agenda. Soon after taking office, he voted to increase the minimum wage and implement the homeland-security recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 commission. In 2008, he worked with Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat, to win House passage of a “silver alert” bill to assist states in finding senior citizens who disappear. Bilirakis was spurred by the case of an 86-year-old Largo woman who was found dead in the Intracoastal Waterway after she disappeared from an assisted-living facility. He was also a lead cosponsor of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, which was designed to improve treatments for paralyzed people and which passed the House in 2007. Bilirakis is the ranking Republican on the Management, Investigations, and Oversight Subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee.

He had a surprisingly easy re-election against lawyer and former Naval submarine Officer Bill Mitchell, who criticized Bilirakis’ opposition to the bailout of the financial markets and to a bill extending the renewable-energy credit, calling him “a friend of Big Oil.” Bilirakis largely ignored the attacks and won handily, 62%-36%.