Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., is beginning his re-election campaign earlier than usual as Democrats target his seat, Politico reported Tuesday.
The six-term incumbent comfortably won re-election in 2016, but after recent losses by the GOP in Pennsylvania, Alabama, and South Florida, Buchanan is not taking chances, the report said.
"Buchanan getting on the airwaves early is a symptom of the nervousness Republicans are feeling. Democratic wins in special elections in Pennsylvania and Alabama have made members, that before thought they were safe, nervous," Democratic data and election analyst Matthew Isbell said in Politico.
"Vern has a tremendous record of accomplishment to talk about and we're eager to get to it," said Buchanan spokesman Max Goodman in Politico.
The congressman's district is on the list that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants to flip. His Democratic challenger is personal injury attorney David Shapiro, whose campaign quickly raised $250,000, the report said.
Buchanan's son already has lost an election; James Buchanan lost a special election for a Republican-leaning state House seat that is 21 percent of his father's 16th Congressional District, Politico reported.
Democrat Margaret Good defeated James Buchanan in that election by 7.4 percentage points; in the 2016 presidential election, Trump won that area by 4.6 points.
Buchanan, one of the wealthiest lawmakers on Capitol Hill, could become wealthier due to the tax code rewrite, with at least an $80 million windfall possible.
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