District 19 congressional candidates face scrutiny over ties to Southwest Florida
LEE COUNTY, Fla. —
The District 19 congressional race to replace Byron Donalds has sparked debate over candidates’ local ties, with a political ad claiming many contenders lack deep connections to the community.
Several candidates have been called out for their limited local roots. Jim Oberweis moved from Illinois and registered to vote in Lee County in 2021. Chris Collins, who lives on Marco Island outside District 19, began voting in the area in 2022, according to the Collier County Supervisor of Elections. Tex Bukowski resides in Sarasota County.
Other candidates, including Madison Cawthorn, Catalina Lauf, Ola Hawatmeh, Linda Sawyer, and John Strand, built their political careers outside Florida.
Mike Pedersen, while not originally from the area, has lived in Cape Coral for 26 years. The ad also notes that all Democratic candidates in the race have deep roots in the region.
Another claim in the ad states, “Failed politicians from Chicago and New York couldn’t get elected in their own state, so they moved here.” Jim Oberweis served eight years in the Illinois State Senate but had four unsuccessful runs for U.S. Congress. Catalina Lauf ran unsuccessful campaigns in Illinois as recently as 2022. Madison Cawthorn, a former U.S. representative for North Carolina, lost his reelection bid, and Linda Sawyer ran two failed campaigns in Michigan.
Mike Pedersen, Ola Hawatmeh, John Strand, and Tex Bukowski are all first-time office seekers. Since most major candidates have lost elections, the claim was rated “mostly true.”
The ad also highlights Jim Schwartzel, stating he has lived in the area his entire life and raised his family there. That claim was verified as true.
After reviewing all the claims, the fact-check rated the ad as “mostly true.”
For a full list of candidates, click here.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.