Power of incumbency on display in primaries

By News Service of Florida

Tuesday was a good night to be an incumbent lawmaker. Incumbent members of Congress and the Legislature won 28 of 29 primary races, with only first-term state Rep. Ricardo Rangel, D-Kissimmee, losing his seat. The margins of victory also show the power of incumbents, with 25 of the 28 receiving 60 percent or more of the votes in their contests. As another indication, all eight of the congressional incumbents who faced primary challenges received at least 70 percent of the votes. Rangel received slightly more than 48 percent as he lost to Kissimmee Democrat John Cortes in Osceola County's House District 43. The race had drawn little attention, and Cortes raised only $6,865 before toppling Rangel, who raised $90,325, according to reports on the state Division of Elections website.