FL-02: Boyd Getting Tested

This is the first time in ages when Allen Boyd has been involved in a real race, but I still have trouble seeing the GOP picking off this seat. I also don't see Boyd getting beaten in the Aug. 24 primary. While many had hoped state Sen. Al Lawson could get the Blue Dog tossed, Lawson simply hasn't run the best of campaigns. Making personal attacks about Boyd's divorce and getting into physical altercations with Boyd trackers have respectively made Lawson appear less like a statesman than an old crank. I am not in the Panhandle, but this race seems done.

In the general, I still have trouble believing Boyd is truly in trouble. He has far out-raised the presumptive Republican nominee Steve Southerland, and I expect that money can go a long way. Boyd has tons of name recognition, not just from 14 years in the House but another 28 in the state Legislature. And I believe this whole 'we-hate-earmarks' thing coming from the tea party megaphones will mean little when it comes to incumbents defending the spending brought home from Washington. This Tallahassee Democrat endorsement (for the primary) ticks off more than $35 million in grant dollars he won. In a district with two major state universities and the center of state government included, this should mean a great deal for voters.

Someday, Boyd will retire. And those old-school Panhandle Dixiecrats, who vote blue more out party loyalty than ideology, are slowly dying. We won't hold this seat forever. But I believe as long as Boyd is around we will continue to keep it blue.