Political outsider tries to catch Drake in District 5

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — The one candidate in the House District 5 Republican primary with previous experience, Brad Drake, already has served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives, but his GOP challenger is trying to use that fact to her advantage.

“Voters are clearly sick of career politicians and the same dysfunction and corruption in government,” said candidate Jan Hooks, of DeFuniak Springs. “We need more people who aren’t career politicians. Mr. Drake is more likely to stand up for the party line and special interests.”

However, Drake, also of DeFuniak Springs, has a considerable advantage in District 5, which includes northern Bay County and all of Jackson, Holmes, Walton and Washington counties. When Florida was redistricted in 2011, Drake was thrown into the same district as Marti Coley, who was later named Speaker pro tem. Instead of engaging in a contentious campaign in 2012, Drake opted to bow out and wait until Coley reached her term limit.

“I felt like Rep. Marti Coley, being a senior member, she’d be able to go back into office and be in a position of authority,” Drake said. “I thought she would be the best representative of Northwest Florida.”

What Drake has done in the meantime, starting in 2011, is raise a considerable amount of money: $334,223. One of Drake’s contributors was Coley, for $150. She added her endorsement.

“It’s absolutely necessary to hit the ground running,” Coley said. “He will vote in the interest of his district always.”

Drake feels one of the key issues for his district is improving highways. Drake has experience in this area, previously serving as the chairman for the House Transportation and Highway Safety Committee.

“Transportation and infrastructure development are absolutely critical for encouraging big job creators to set up shop here,” Drake said. “The government exists for a limited purpose: one, to provide public safety; two,  education; three, infrastructure. That is absolutely a conservative philosophy. You don’t spend more than you take in, don’t overextend yourself, but you make sure you have adequate resources available.”

With previous legislative experience, Drake can point to his voting record as proof of his conservative credentials. He cosponsored the Florida constitutional amendment opposing the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act and currently opposes the expansion of Medicaid. As for opposing big government interference, Drake is proud of his role in the fight against septic tank regulations and, when the bill was passed, the effort to reverse its effects.

However, Hooks, also of Defuniak Springs, feels she is the more conservative candidate, pointing out Drake was a state representative when a tax increase passed in 2009.

“It’s holding true to convictions even when facing unpopular options. It’s not compromising principles,” Hooks said of the meaning of being a true conservative. “We don’t have enough true conservatives in Tallahassee.”

Hooks works as a real estate agent and described herself and her husband as entrepreneurs.

Although Hooks is a political outsider, she holds many of the same views as Drake. She is against government regulation, she wants to attract better paying jobs to District 5, stop the spread of Obamacare and improve education in the district by ending Common Core.

One difference between the two candidates is Hooks’ stance on immigration.

“We need to make sure we are not incentivizing illegal immigration with bad policy like in-state tuition rates,” Hooks said.

Hooks has raised $134,535, almost exclusively from individual contributors.

The winner of the Republican primary election, for which early voting is underway, will face Libertarian candidate Karen Schoen in the general election Nov. 4.