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Suzanne Kosmas
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Suzanne M. Kosmas (born February 25, 1944) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida and a member of the Democratic Party. She is the Congresswoman for , after defeating three-term Republican incumbent and former Florida House of Representatives Speaker Tom Feeney in the 2008 election. The district consists of several portions of the Orlando-Daytona Beach area as well as portions of the Space Coast region.
Kosmas was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 through 2004, serving four consecutive terms before being term-limited.
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Suzanne M. Kosmas (born February 25, 1944) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida and a member of the Democratic Party. She is the Congresswoman for , after defeating three-term Republican incumbent and former Florida House of Representatives Speaker Tom Feeney in the 2008 election. The district consists of several portions of the Orlando-Daytona Beach area as well as portions of the Space Coast region.
Kosmas was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 through 2004, serving four consecutive terms before being term-limited. She represented the state's 28th House District, and was replaced in 2004 by Republican Dorothy Hukill.
Kosmas is the owner of Prestige Properties of New Smyrna Beach, a real estate company located in New Smyrna Beach since 1979.
Kosmas has lived in New Smyrna Beach since 1973 and is the mother of four grown children, Paul, Michael, David, and Kristen, and grandmother of nine.
Kosmas graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stetson University in 1998, having previously attended Penn State University, George Mason University and Daytona Beach Community College. Kosmas was a sitting member of the Florida Legislature when she graduated.
Kosmas was one of the top recruits for the Democrats in the 2008 cycle. Despite the wide perception that Feeney had drawn the 24th for himself while still serving as state house speaker, the district is actually a fairly marginal district on paper, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+3. It includes most of Democratic-leaning Volusia County, where Kosmas lives.
In a poll released on September 18, 2008, Kosmas had 42 percent of the vote, compared to 43 percent for Feeney, with the remaining voters undecided. Filings with the Federal Election Commission showed that Feeney had raised $1.5 million as of August 6, compared to $1.2 million by Kosmas, and that Feeney had $804,000 on hand as of that date, compared to $836,000 for Kosmas. Her campaign contributors included Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry.
Kosmas campaigned on issues such as fiscal conservatism, support for veterans, and values like integrity and transparency. Feeney was attacked in independent expenditure ads for his ties to Jack Abramoff, the negative perception of which was exacerbated by Feeney's own . The Orlando Sentinel endorsed Kosmas rather than Feeney, suggesting Feeney was too conservative for the district. An internal poll for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee shows Kosmas leading Feeney by 23 points, 58 percent to 35 percent. Congressional Quarterly had rated the contest as "No Clear Favorite" for most of the campaign, but inevitably changed it to "Leans Democratic."
In the November election, Kosmas won in a landslide, taking 57 percent of the vote to Feeney's 41 percent--the largest margin of defeat for a Republican incumbent in the 2008 cycle.
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