Brown-Waite announces re-election bid

U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite dropped a bombshell Friday night for Republicans, but probably not the one they expected.

Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, said she would be getting married in two or three months to Anthony "Tony" Selvaggio.

And then, in front of a packed house at the Citrus County Republicans Lincoln Day dinner, Brown-Waite announced her political plans: She is running for re-election to a fifth term.

"Over 12,000 people have asked me to run again," she said referring to the signatures on her ballot petition. "I could not walk away. Certainly not now."

The Citrus Hills Golf & Country Club held a certain energy fueled by a statement from Brown-Waite's office late Thursday that she would have a "major announcement" at Friday's dinner.

Brown-Waite was the scheduled keynote speaker at the dinner. Republican Party chairman Dick Windle said he had no prior communication from Brown-Waite's office that anything unusual was to take place.

He said he learned of the statement from Brown-Waite's office when others called him with the news Friday morning.

A former Hernando County commissioner and state senator, voters in the then-newly drawn Fifth Congressional District in 2002 elected Brown-Waite over Democrat incumbent Karen Thurman of Dunnellon.

Brown-Waite has won re-election handedly since then.

After Brown-Waite's short campaign speech, state Committeewoman Debra Fredrick presented her with a dozen red roses to celebrate both engagement and re-election plans.

To Brown-Waite's fiancé, Fredrick joked: "Tony, thank you so much for letting her run again!"

Brown-Waite's husband of 30 years, Harvey, died in August 2008. Brown-Waite said she ran for re-election that year because Harvey wanted her to.

When she and Selvaggio met and became engaged, Brown-Waite acknowledged that there were misgivings about another term in Congress.

"There was some disagreement whether I should run again or not," she said in an interview. "Initially he did not want me to run. He's very aware of the schedule. I'm away four days a week. It took us a while to work out a routine."

Brown-Waite has a campaign account already opened and has raised nearly $400,000, according to federal election records. She has one primary opponent and three Democrats also are in the race.

"The timing would be all wrong" for a retirement, she said.

Brown-Waite said she wanted to make a high-profile announcement to kick off her campaign.

"The rumors of my pending retirement," she said, "are greatly exaggerated."