Rep. James Buchanan has represented southern Sarasota County in the state House since his first election in 2018, and he’s eyeing a final two years before term limits preclude him from running again. A real estate broker by trade, Buchanan is the son of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan , R-Longboat Key − the second-wealthiest member of Congress, behind another Floridian, Sen. Rick Scott.
With the county’s rich red history, Buchanan is all but guaranteed his final reelection if he makes it to November. But to get there, he must first win the August GOP primary.
Enter stage right, Michelle Pozzie .
Pozzie has become a fixture in the burgeoning Mike Flynn-aligned conservative movement in southern Sarasota . She has been endorsed by the America First Southwest Florida Caucus and she hosts two shows on Flynn’s “Patriot TV” conservative media project.
Pozzie is also counting on some residual energy from former President Donald Trump's primary clash with Gov. Ron DeSantis to motivate voters. She has often brought up on the campaign trail that she had endorsed Trump for president, while Buchanan initially threw his support to DeSantis.
She has also attacked Buchanan as being in the pocket of developers and special interest groups, and invoked Matthew 6:24, where Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Still, Pozzie is a heavy underdog. Buchanan has a long incumbency, a political legacy, and an endorsement by Governor Ron DeSantis. He is the Chair of the Agriculture, Conservation & Resiliency Subcommittee and Vice Chair of Ways & Means Committee at the State House.
In 2024, he has raised at least $113,000; while Pozzie has pulled in a little more than $12,000.
James Buchanan, Michelle Pozzie on the issues
Pozzie said one of her priorities in Tallahassee would be to support state-wide legislation similar to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to “assure only U.S. citizens can vote.”
“I believe we can do more to secure our elections, much like the ( Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin ) did, and we need to address the migrant crisis that we pretend is not here in Florida, Pozzie said.
The U.S. Constitution is clear that only citizens can vote in federal elections, and the Florida constitution stipulates the same for elections in the state. Voter fraud committed by non-citizens is virtually nonexistent .
Buchanan said affordable housing has been one of his top three priorities as a legislator. He sponsored Annual Adjustments to the Value of Certain Homestead Exemptions measure to appear as Amendment 5 on November ballots.
“As inflation goes up any one given year, it’s going to basically tie that inflation to homestead exemptions, so pushing down property taxes for individuals,” Buchanan said.
He also supported the Live Local Act , a 2023 affordable housing bill that passed with bipartisan approval. Buchanan characterized it as a free-market solution that offers incentives to developers to make homes more attainable and funds the two largest affordable housing programs in Florida.
Pozzie said it was important that local governments control their growth and development. Other candidates endorsed by the American First SW FL Caucus – such as former Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight and former Charter Review Board member Alexandra Coe - have criticized their opponents and county officials for what they have said is reckless overdevelopment.
However, she characterized the problem as primarily stemming from Washington, D.C.
“A large part of affordable housing is much larger than our state, it is a ripple effect of failed national policies and mismanagement from this administration,” Pozzie said.
Data from Redfin shows that home prices across Sarasota County have steadily risen since the Trump Administration.
Buchanan said that while he supports legal immigration, he characterized illegal immigration as a problem that needed to be solved at the federal level. However, he outlined steps that could be taken at state and local levels, especially if Donald Trump is elected in November and can reinstate his immigration policies through executive order.
“We can give our local law enforcement, our sheriffs, the ability and the tools to deport,” Buchanan said. “We also need to make sure that we are looking at different organizations, in terms of funding that is related to illegal immigration.”
Buchanan referenced a recent state report that claimed illegal immigration has cost taxpayers about $566 million for health care costs. However, the report also said it could not "find any obvious correlation between the level of uncompensated care and the level of illegal aliens presenting at the hospital."
The real taxpayer burden, the report said, could be between $0 and $2.6 billion – a wide chasm.
The winner of the primary between Buchanan and Pozzie will be the heavy favorite in November against Democrat Nancy M.H. Simpson.
Buchanan has not faced any primary or partisan opposition since he defeated Democrat Lisa Stortstrom with over 60% of the vote in 2020.
Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at ccasale@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @vanityhack
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: James Buchanan faces underdog GOP primary challenge for final state House term
Local Florida State
Most Popular
Comments / 0