Reporter William March has covered state and national politics since 1994. Email
Reporter Mike Salinero has covered Hillsborough County government for The Tampa Tribune since 2007. Email
Reporter Lindsay Peterson has been a general assignment reporter at the Tampa Tribune since 2005, focusing on higher education since 2009. Email
Posted Sep 17, 2011 by William March
Updated Sep 17, 2011 at 09:10 PM
Introducing U.S. Rep. CW Bill Young at a Pinellas County GOP fundraiser a few minutes ago, state Sen. Jack Latvala appeared to say that Young intends to run for re-election.
“He is prepared to run again,” Latvala told the crowd of Republicans, and added that Young will hold a fundraiser in about a week.
Did that mean Young is running?
“He’s doing what he needs to do,” was the only answer immediately available from Young’s chief of staff, Harry Glenn—not exactly a confirmation.
Young himself didn’t say directly in his own comments to the crowd, but gave a hint.
“After two operations on my back and nearly three months in the hospital, I lost nearly 50 pounds and I lost four inches in height,” he said. “But there’s one thing I have not lost – the commitment and the determination to do everything I can to make sure that America remains a government of the people, by the people and for the people, and not one of the government, by the government, and for the government, which is what the present occupant of the White House wants.”
Whether Young runs again is considered crucial to whether Republicans can hold his 10th District congressional seat, which is likely to become more Democratic in the coming redistricting. Young normally doesn’t announce his intentions until the beginning of the election year, but the effect on redistricting has made GOP insiders intensely curious on the subjectd this year.
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