Florida: John Mica Beats Sandy Adams

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Roll Call:

Rep. John Mica, chairman of the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, beat tea-party-affiliated freshman Rep. Sandy Adams by a comfortable margin in today’s GOP primary for Florida’s 7th district, situated north of Orlando.

With 78 percent of precincts reporting, Mica had 61 percent of the vote, to Adams’ 39 percent.

The establishment gets a bum rap these days. Time spent in Washington, D.C., is politically pestilent. Earmarks have given way to an age of austerity. Compromise is out. The approval rating of Congress is at 10 percent.

But in today’s Republican Member-vs.-Member race between the establishment and the grass roots, the establishment won.

Despite being a longtime politician in D.C. — Mica was first elected in 1992 — and having a history of earmarking for his district, Mica’s voting record is hued quite red: He is a real conservative. But it was green, not red that kept this from being much of a race.