A retired general is challenging an incumbent for the 13th Congressional primary seat.
- U.S. House, District 13 race: Incumbent David Jolly vs. retired Gen. Mark Bircher
- Jolly decided to defend his House seat
- Redrawn District 13 leans more Democratic now since it gained south St. Pete
In fact, this is the second time Rep. David Jolly is facing off against retired Gen. Mark Bircher.
This Republican race in the changed 13th district is the result of circumstances.
Jolly was running for his U.S. Senate but stepped out of the race when Marco Rubio decided to run to keep his seat.
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The 13th District covers Pinellas County north to Clearwater after being redrawn. It now leans more towards Democrats after encompassing south St. Petersburg.
Bircher, 63, has been running on a platform of lower the national debt while Jolly has been making noise in Washington over campaign finance reform and gun control.
"This debt is just being ignored like it doesn’t exist," said Bircher, who first ran for office against Jolly in 2014 . "And we say we love our children but we’re putting debt on them like we don’t love our children."
For Jolly, meanwhile, his race against Bircher is something of a microcosm for GOP races across the country: Jolly is among the incuimbents who are uneasy, or unwilling, to endorse the controversial top-of-the-ticket candidate, Donald Trump.
Jolly, 43, says his biggest accomplishments are taking on campaign finance reform and backing a bill that would prohibit members of Congress from directly soliciting campaign contributions. He also knows that his views on Trump are setting him apart.
Jolly isn't supporting Trump. But Bircher, a retired Marine Corps Reserve brigadier general, commercial pilot and lawyer, favors the New York Republican.
"I’m excited about Tuesday night," Jolly said. "I would encourage everybody to get out and vote and the same thing for November."