Buchanan holds off Good for eighth term in U.S. House

Voters in Sarasota, Manatee and Hillsborough counties selected Vern Buchanan to return to Capitol Hill for an eighth term in Congress in voting that concluded Tuesday night.

Buchanan, 69, of Longboat Key defeated Democratic challenger Margaret Good for the U.S. Representative seat for Florida’s 16th District.

“It’s a tremendous victory,” Buchanan said. “I’m humbled by the level of support that I’ve got by the community.”

With 100% of the precincts reporting, the unofficial results show Buchanan won 55.6% of the vote with 266,031 total votes. Good had 44.4% of the vote with 212,500 votes.

“I’m very proud of the campaign we ran and grateful for the thousands of volunteers and supporters who stood up for our values,” Good said in a statement. “It has been an honor to be the Democratic nominee for this district, and I am grateful for all of the support.”

Buchanan held his watch party Tuesday night at Robarts Arena along with several other Republican candidates who also won offices. One of them was his son James Buchanan, who beat Democratic challenger Lisa Stortstrom in the Florida House of Representatives District 74 race.

In February 2018, Good beat James Buchanan and Libertarian Alison Foxall to fill a vacancy in the Florida House.

Vern Buchanan said he is focused on the federal government's COVID-19 response, job creation and helping small businesses.

He is set to hold a two-year term.

“Coronavirus is a big, big issue,” Vern Buchanan said. “We’ve got to come together, Democrats and Republicans, trying to get that behind us as soon as we can in a very healthy way.”

Vern Buchanan has served the 16th district since 2013, and also served the 13th district from 2007-2013.

“I work for the people in Longboat and the community,” Vern Buchanan said. “Anything I can do, whether it’s beach renourishment or anything else.”