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U.S. Rep. Young Plans To Seek 20th Term In Congress

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By BILLY HOUSE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 18, 2008

Updated: 01/18/2008 12:16 am

WASHINGTON - The wait is over: U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young is running for another term in Congress.

"Unless I tell you something different, just assume that I am running," Young, the longest-serving Republican in the House of Representatives, said in an interview Thursday.

Republican Party officials in Washington and at home confirmed that Young, 77, has told them he will run for a 20th, two-year term representing his Pinellas County-based district.

"Yeah, he's running," added Pinellas County GOP chairman Tony DiMatteo.

The news ends months of speculation about Young's plans.

It also brings some relief to House Republican leaders.

Since the GOP lost majority control of the chamber after the 2006 elections, 20 House Republicans have announced they will not be seeking re-election this fall - compared with five Democratic departures. (Three other Republican seats and one Democratic seat will be the focus of special elections in March.)

"That's a pretty scary list," said Young of the number of his colleagues who are leaving. "The same thing happened in '95, when we took the majority. A lot of Democrats retired."

Democrats already control the chamber 232 seats to 200.

GOP Facing Uphill Battle

Young's retirement would have compounded his party's troubles by forcing Republicans to scramble to keep what many consider a relatively safe seat in the Tampa Bay area.

Analysts predict that as many as eight of the seats held by departing Republicans could be at risk in competitive races with no incumbent. Only one such Democratic seat is viewed as competitive.

Republicans face an uphill battle just to keep what seats they have, said David Wasserman, the U.S. House expert for the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter.

"It's the lopsided nature of the retirements in the House," he said, predicting Democrats will pick up from two to seven seats.

Locally, Young's departure also would have stripped the Tampa Bay area of his seniority in Congress. From his senior position on the House Appropriations Committee, a panel he chaired until 2005, he has been able to steer hundreds of millions of dollars to his district, region and state.

Young's decision to run again may quash efforts by Democrats who have been suggesting they might target Young's district, which has been trending Democratic but continues to have a Republican voting edge.

Democrats Hope To Challenge Him

Young has never won with less than 57 percent of the vote, even when President Bush won the district only narrowly in 2004, 51 percent to 49 percent.

As of Thursday, no Democratic challenger has filed to run for the office.

"We hope to have a strong candidate," responded Kyra Jennings, the southern regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which oversees national strategy for the party's U.S. House races.

Jennings acknowledged her party has not yet lined up a candidate.

Federal Election Commission records show that as of Sept. 30, Young had $579,196 in his re-election campaign war chest, raising $243,000 since January 2006. Updated numbers are required to be filed with the commission by the end of this month.

Young said Thursday that he did not feel it necessary to make a formal announcement that he's decided to run for another term.

"I have never 'announced,'" he explained, saying that he simply shows up with candidate qualifying papers when they are due in May.

Young did acknowledge that he had promised to let his party know some time early this year if he was not running again, to give potential GOP successors time to gear up their campaigns.

Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or bhouse@tampatrib.com.

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