The stakes just changed substantially in the 2022 election in U.S. House District 16.

The decision by U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican, not to seek reelection has enormous consequences for the future of one U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota.

Assuming Buchanan wins reelection and stays on the House Ways & Means Committee, where he has held a spot for years, he will enter the next Congress as the senior-most Republican on the most powerful committee in the House of Representatives. And considering historical trends and the current political climate all but ensure the GOP will take over the House next year, that makes Buchanan the most likely person to chair that committee when Congress convenes in 2023.

To say this could be a great boon for the Sarasota region is like saying dinosaurs should be ready for serious weather when that meteor storm arrives. It’s simply a dramatic understatement considering past Ways & Means chairs saved military bases, opened Veterans Affairs hospitals and rewrote American tax code. 

For several cycles, Democrats have targeted Buchanan earnestly but in all seriousness mostly based on a hope the eight-term congressman would just retire already. And at 70 years old, that may have seemed like a worthwhile hope. As one of the wealthiest members of Congress, he’s not pining for a pension. And if Republicans didn’t seem in a position to reseize the majority, well, a GOP incumbent would have to really weigh the merits of spending time on the beach against regular trips to Washington to vote no and legislation Democrats will pass anyway. I’m sure it has crossed Buchanan’s mind the last few years how long he would choose to endure the purgatory that is being a member of a legislative minority.

But now, not only are Republicans in prime position to take control of the chamber, but they will hand the purse strings of the nation to Buchanan if they do.

I can already hear the stinging feedback. “There goes Ogles, spewing more Republican propaganda from the dark side.” But to be honest, I don’t relish the idea of divided power in Washington during a period of genuinely violent divisiveness in modern political discourse. But this isn’t a column about the bigger picture of democracy in the USA. It’s about enormous stakes for Sarasota.

Martin Hyde, Buchanan’s Republican primary challenger, has already said the fact Buchanan is in line to be even more of an establishment figurehead is not something voters will embrace. Voters are "more concerned with having a Representative who will never compromise their second amendment rights by voting with Democrats on HR 8 than someone who believes in the politics of seniority caused by a lack of term limits,” he said.

Democrats too made the case in 2020 and 2018 that there was something more important than Buchanan building power. “The voters of this district are ready for change,” Democrat Margaret Good said last year, challenging Buchanan’s voting record on Medicare. “Republicans and Vern Buchanan have spent months trying to rip healthcare away from millions of Americans,” alleged Democrat David Shapiro in 2018.

But let me say this all misses the point. Base voters may get excited by base issues like gun rights and health reform, and these are important matters. But the most important work Representatives do isn’t casting major votes. It’s the day-in, day-out efforts to bring as much power to their home district and constituents as possible.

Nobody from this region, or even in the state of Florida, has ever had a chance like Buchanan has now to grip this level of power in Congress. That he’s been more focused on economic issues than these red meat matters just turned into a major political asset as Buchanan seeks a ninth term.

Jacob Ogles is senior contributing editor for SRQ MEDIA. 

Year after year, election cycle after election cycle, our students at New College of Florida garner national accolades for their civic engagement. This fall is no exception, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share details about their much-deserved recognition.

In November, New College received the “Highest Voter Registration” and “Highest Voter Turnout” awards for 2021, as well as a platinum seal, from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. ALL IN recognizes higher education institutions, educators and students who increased voter engagement in the 2020 elections. 

“I’m so happy and proud of New College,” says Jada McNeill, assistant director of New College’s Office of Student Activities & Campus Engagement (SA[u]CE), who has been instrumental in increasing voter turnout among students. “I’m grateful that our efforts are being recognized on a national scale.”

So, what is ALL IN, exactly? It is an incredible organization that believes that higher education institutions play a role in graduating students into voters, and in closing electoral participation gaps that persist by race and age. ALL IN aims to create a more inclusive democracy by strengthening college and university efforts to improve civic learning, political engagement and voter participation; as well as ensuring that students are registered to vote and participate in all elections.

Despite the hurdles of the COVID-19 pandemic that led the majority of students to learn virtually in 2020, McNeill and the SA[u]CE team ensured students at New College could effectively cast their ballots. The 2020 presidential election engaged the largest and most diverse group of college students in United States history, and more than 840 institutions (enrolling close to 9 million students) participated in the ALL IN Challenge.

The 2020 election cycle saw unprecedented voter registration and turnout among college students, according to the recent National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement from the Institute for Democracy in Higher Education. The IDHE reported that 66% of college students voted in the 2020 election—a 14-point increase from 2016. Data from the IDHE showed that New College’s voting rate increased to 82.1% in 2020 from 74.6% in 2016.

IDHE’s NSLVE is the nation’s largest study of college and university student voting. Institutions must opt in to the study, and nearly 1,200 campuses of all types (community colleges, research universities, minority-serving and women’s colleges, state universities and private institutions) participate. The 2020 dataset is robust, with 8,880,700 voting-eligible students representing 1,051 colleges and universities.

New College’s rising numbers, as reflected in the report, show our students are extremely actively engaged in the democratic process. And this year is not the first time that ALL In has recognized New College.

In 2018, nearly two-thirds of New College students voted, and the College earned a platinum seal from ALL IN for achieving a student voting rate above 50% (as well as three “Best in Class Awards” for the highest voting rate among all participating small, public, four-year institutions).

To continue encouraging high student voter turnout at New College, McNeill and the SA[u]CE office staff created a Voting Information Center, and they launched the NCF VOTE voter engagement initiative last year. But there is much more to follow as we prepare for the midterm elections next year.

Our students are proudly upholding a tradition of civic engagement and activism that has been part of New College since its inception. Students raise awareness for the most pressing issues of the election cycles and encourage their generation—and those that will follow—to get involved in the political process and make lasting change. I continue to be inspired by them.

Patricia Okker, Ph.D. is the president of New College of Florida.