Adam Putnam – Could This Nice Guy Finish First?

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Even for such a dog-eat-dog world as that of Florida politics, Adam Putnam is probably the only person (or subject) that most people have only good things to say about. Will that be enough to pull him through to the finish line? So far, it would seem so.

For years, the good ole boy from Bartow was the standard for party faithfulness. He had no real enemies, making him an effective and trustworthy whip when Republicans in D.C. were pressured to vote for liberal measures such as raising the Debt Ceiling, TARP, and Wall Street bailouts during the 2008 financial crises.

Despite his off-conservative record, Putnam managed to hold on to Florida’s 12th Congressional District – one of the most conservative districts in the state – for ten years. Voters gave him the benefit of the doubt, believing that he was a Party loyalist and a patriot who did what he had to do for the good of the country. President Bush was shown a similar deference when it came to his Big Government initiatives as well.

Voter empathy aside, Putnam’s races tended to lack serious challengers. His secret? Maintaining his relationships with typically fickle friends such as the sugar industry, Florida investor-owned utilities and power companies, The Chamber and AIF, etc. Continued loyalty from these groups over the years has formed a substantial support base for the Bartow farm boy.