FOXNews.com: GOP lawmaker who led charge against Solyndra, Planned Parenthood trailing in primary

FOXNews.com FOX News Network - We Report. You Decide. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

GOP lawmaker who led charge against Solyndra, Planned Parenthood trailing in primary Aug 15th 2012, 11:26 A Florida veterinarian who ran as a tea party favorite held a tiny lead over 12-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns in a GOP primary race that was too close to call early Wednesday.  Ted Yoho held a 35 percent to 34 percent lead -- 829 votes -- over Stearns for the Republican nomination for the District 3 seat. Two other candidates split the rest of the vote.  The Associated Press wasn't calling the race since provisional ballots and late overseas ballots could cut into Yoho's lead. Provisional and overseas ballots typically make up 3 to 5 percent of the overall vote.  Stearns was seeking a 13th term in Congress from his district, which includes Gainesville and areas northwest of the college town. Yoho is a veterinarian who has promised to leave office after four terms, if he wins.  Federal Election Commission records show that Stearns had 16 times more cash on hand than Yoho -- $2 million versus $129,000. But Yoho was helped by a television ad that had actors dressed as politicians in suits eating from a trough alongside pigs and throwing mud at each other. Yoho did not immediately return a call from AP, but he told the Tampa Bay Times he was going to "thank God."  "I'm going to do a Tebow right here," Yoho, 57, told the newspaper.  "Cliff Stearns embodied a career politician, the establishment," Yoho told the paper. "He was more concerned about getting re-elected than doing what's right. He's not a bad guy. We just need different leadership."  Stearns was first elected to Congress in 1988 and has been serving as the chair of an investigations subcommittee for the House Energy and Commerce committee. In that job, Stearns launched a probe to determine if Planned Parenthood improperly spent public money on abortions. Planned Parenthood says taxpayer money is strictly separated. The breast cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, cited the probe when it decided to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood. The charity reversed course after the decision ignited a firestorm of criticism.  He also headed the congressional investigation into Solyndra Inc., a solar energy company that received a half-billion dollar federal loan and later went bankrupt. That bankruptcy led to heavy GOP criticism of the Obama administration's energy policies.  In other races, 10-term Congressman John Mica defeated freshman U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams following a tough primary battle that pitted the two Florida Republican incumbents against each other because of redistricting.  Mica won 61 percent to Adams' 39 percent of the vote.  The Republicans faced each other after redistricting put both of their homes in the 7th congressional district, which includes parts of Orlando and areas northeast of the city.  The race featured blistering attack ads that accused each other of not being true conservatives and celebrity endorsements. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee backed Mica while former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin supported Adams, who had the backing of much of the tea party.  Mica described the race as "difficult" but credited a grassroots campaign that was unprecedented for him.  "I can tell you everything but the kitchen sink was thrown at us but I've got to include the cabinets and all of the appliances," Mica told supporters at an election party.  Adams said she had no regrets about how the campaign was run.  "I'm glad I brought the conversation back to conservative values," Adams said.  In District 9, attorney Todd Long defeated Osceola County Commissioner John Quinones in a central Florida Republican congressional primary. Long will now face former Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson for a congressional seat that represents part of metro Orlando.  Long upset Quinones Tuesday in the District 9 race. The district had been drawn so that voting-age Hispanics make up 41 percent of voting-age residents.  Long was helped by last-minute anti-Quinones attack ads that largely were funded by Grayson. Grayson spent one-term in Congress. He became nationally known for saying the GOP health care plan was to hope people die. Grayson was defeated for re-election in 2010.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions