Hackworth on the trail

So we know one way Dunedin Mayor Bob Hackworth is keeping off the weight he lost: Biking door-to-door on the campaign trail for Florida's 10th congressional district in Florida's steam-room-like weather.

Bay Buzz spotted the soggy candidate and his two wheels Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg's Old Northeast neighborhood, clipboard in hand with a list of registered Democrats.

To read the previous post about Hackworth's weight shed, read this earlier Bay Buzz post. Hackworth faces Max Linn and Samm Simpson in the Democratic primary Aug. 26. Winner will face uber-incumbent C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Indian Shores.

And if you get a knock on your door from a local candidate, let Bay Buzz know at jjames@sptimes.com Please put CANDIDATE in the subject line.

--Joni James, Times state editor

Comments

If Hack really wanted to beat C. W. (Bill) Young he would have opposed him in the August 26 primary. Who could vote for a candidate w/such meager qualifications and the pretense of being a DEMOCRAT? Wake up America!!

Vote for Change:
It's nice you support Samm but you don't do her any favors by slamming other people. It only makes her look bad. Stick to the issues. bill Young has been good for this county and Samm has said it herself. Once again, Stick to the issues and don't embarrass Samm.

Hack knows he made the biggest mistake of his life by jumping parties and attempting to take on Young. Young would have happily discussed future strategies and runs with Hack but the way he did this, his political career is over. Career politicians, both parties are now calling Hackworth "a wild card and out of control". Better start looking for a civilian job, Hackworth, and give your staff time to find new jobs. No reason to screw them also.

If Hackworth is the right man for the job, why didn't he just face Young in a primary? He is a republican?, and I'm sure the voters in Dunedin who put him where he is now, are not very pleased with this display. I voted for him for Mayor. I would not have, if I would have known that he was just using this position, for something bigger and better. Shame on you Bob! Cheaters never win!

[Vote For Change!]

9:59 am --

You must of been one of those political sages who advised John Kerry not to "slam" George W Bush in the 2004 campaign. Well, we all know what happened. Kerry didn't want to offend the fine sensibilities of "experts" like you. So he didn't differentiate himself CLEARLY, POSITIVELY & DEFINITIVELY from Bush. So it was no surprise he lost.

What I've tried to do in my postings is to show the SAMM SIMPSON IS CLEARLY, POSITIVELY AND DEFINITIVELY THE BEST CANDIDATE TO REPRESENT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 10TH CD RACE!

If you or her opponents find the sttrenght and passion with which she presents her issues too intimidating, then they should either get out of the race (after all, "politics ain't beanbag" as the old saying goes), or they should grow themselves a bigger pair!

Samm has amply demonstrated the courage of her convinctions! Have you? Or perhaps the better question is, do you have any?

Vote for Change:
there you go again, embarrassing Samm with your name calling. Samm would have no part of that.

Way to go Hackworth. Between you and that idiot Linn you have messed up the chances for any democrat! (Psstt - Hackworth - the republicans are the ones that voted you in for Mayor)
what a moron!

Sensei: You wrote "Samm has not garnered one single endorsement this cycle"...

Just plain wrong. Local PDA, State PDA, National PDA, Local DFA, St. Pete Dems PAC, Veterans Post News, and two city council folks, and more, all this cycle...

July 8th, 11:44. You write: "the 34% of the vote that Samm got, any yellow dog would get. It's automatic. Straight party voting. Her name could be Humpty Dumpty and she still would have got the 34%."

The guy who ran as a Dem the cycle before got 31%. And he wasn't even Humpty.

And because she only raised $40K, the local media basically ignored the race, save those few instances when her supporters were able to beat it into the heads of the media that there was support for her and the race needed to be covered. (See WEDU debates)

So she was at least able to give Young the best run for his money since 1994, and her cost per vote was lower than his. (His campaign evidently thought she was serious enough a threat to do 3 direct mail pieces, something he didn't do in the previous race.)

The fact that Hackworth and Linn are in this race only helps Samm's chances of winning, as the justifiable media it has generated is giving Samm the kind of exposure that she couldn't garner in 06.

Bottom line voters responded positively to Samm's message in 06, because she was in step with the electorate on issues. The reason she lost in 06 had nothing to do with her stances or who she is as a person. There just plain wasn't enough attention paid to the race for her to get her message out, and she had little name recognition.

This time around: radically different environment -- both within the media and in the streets -- and I'm thinking we'll see a radically different result.

Let us not be negative about Samm Simpson because of her lack of experience. Abe Lincoln had 2 years in his state legislature. GWBush had experience as a Governor, Dick Cheney as Sec. of Defense. Look at all the experience that Cong. Young has and he voted for the war,for Bush's "preemptive strike", for Scalia and Thomas. What has he done for the health and welfare of the majority of his constituents?

The big question is, if Bobby gets elected, does that mean he can take his training wheels off?

Hackworth = Republican plant