POLITICS

Buchanan and Steube stick with districts they currently represent, avoiding primary

Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, left, and Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key.

U.S. Reps Vern Buchanan and Greg Steube will avoid battling each other in a primary and instead run for the seats they currently represent under a new redistricting map that shifts their district boundaries but leaves the lawmakers with many of their current voters.

The new redistricting map drew Buchanan and Steube, both Republicans who live in Sarasota County, into the same seat - District 17 - which currently is represented by Steube.

The new District 17 includes all of Sarasota and Charlotte counties and a portion of Lee County.

Steube announced Thursday that he will run for re-election in District 17, while Buchanan said he will stick with District 16, which he currently represents but won't live in after the new map proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is finalized. Living in the district is not a requirement for members of Congress.

District 16 currently includes the northern portion of Sarasota County, all of Manatee County and a portion of Hillsborough County. Under the new map it will include all of Manatee and a portion of Hillsborough.

The new District 16 includes more than two thirds of the old district, Buchanan's campaign noted Thursday.

"The congressman is looking forward to running for re-election in a district that he has served for the past decade," said spokesman Max Goodman. "Manatee County has always been the heart of the 16th district and will remain so going forward."

Steube was first elected in 2018 to a district that includes southern Sarasota County and a vast swath of interior Florida, including all or parts of Charlotte, Glades, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Lee, Okeechobee and Polk counties.

Yet while the new District 17 only includes three counties, it has about 60% of the current district's voters, Steube's campaign noted.

More:DeSantis' redistricting map has big impact on seats covering Sarasota and Manatee counties

"Florida's 17th district deserves an America First conservative who will fight for freedom and liberty, and I have a proven track record of doing exactly that in service to this district and our country," Steube said.

Steube announced his plan to run for re-election early Thursday morning and Buchanan revealed his plans soon after, ending speculation about how redistricting would impact the two lawmakers.

Sticking with District 16 means Buchanan, if he wins re-election, won't be representing Sarasota County in Congress for the first time since he first took office in 2007.

The previous redistricting cycle shifted Buchanan's seat to make Manatee County the power base, but this maps goes even further by removing Sarasota County completely.

Buchanan lives in the Sarasota County portion of Longboat Key and has long been active in Sarasota political and business circles. Steube, meanwhile, grew up in Manatee County and represented Manatee in the state House.

Follow Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson on Twitter at @zacjanderson. He can be reached at zac.anderson@heraldtribune.com