Republican knightmares

“TELL the Misses not to wait up because the after dinner whiskey & cigars will be smooth and the issues to discuss are many,” read the invite to an all-male fundraiser in March for Steve Southerland, the Republican seeking re-election in Florida’s second congressional district. “Good men sitting around discussing & solving political & social problems over fine food & drink date back to the 12th Century with King Arthur’s Round Table.”

But actions considered chivalrous in medieval times look more like chauvinism now. “It strikes women our age as tone deaf to suggest that they don’t belong in policy discussions but at home,” says Sam Fazenbaker, a student at Florida State University. She plans to vote for Gwen Graham, Mr Southerland’s challenger and one of the Democrats’ best hopes to snatch a seat in the House of Representatives.

Her candidacy has attracted a ton of money from outside groups. She is a centrist: she says Democrats “bit off more than they could chew” with Obamacare, but criticises Republicans for trying to return health-care decisions “to the hands of the insurance companies.” Her main advantage, however, may be her opponent.

Not only does Mr Southerland make gaffes (he dismissed complaints about his male-only fundraiser by pointing out that some brides-to-be hold a women-only “lingerie shower” where their friends give them frilly gifts). As a pro-life family-values Republican, he also reminds some female voters of what they dislike about his party.

Ms Graham’s advertisements warn voters that Mr Southerland voted against reauthorising the Violence Against Women Act. “That’s not the north Florida way,” she says. Mr Southerland retorts that he did vote for a different version of it, and that as the father of four daughters, he would hardly want to ignore the issue. Still, in a tight race, Ms Graham hopes that female voters will make the difference. Democrats usually have an advantage: in 2012 Barack Obama won the female vote by 12 points nationwide.

Mr Southerland, whose family has run funeral homes in the district for three generations, won his seat in the Republican wave of 2010, knocking out a conservative Democrat, Allen Boyd, who had voted for Obamacare. North Florida is conservative but the second district is politically mixed: it has plenty of rural southern voters, who lean Republican. But it is also 25% black and, since it includes Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee, is home to many government workers, who skew Democratic.

At a feisty debate on September 23rd Mr Southerland harangued his opponent for not having deep local roots. She countered by naming the local high school she attended. The pair also jousted over the minimum wage (she wants to raise it; he thinks that would destroy jobs).

Mr Southerland dings Ms Graham for being an insider. Her father, Bob Graham, was governor of Florida and a US senator. She worked for two north-eastern liberals, John Kerry and Howard Dean. And her time at a law firm in Washington, DC lets critics paint her as a lobbyist. Tracey Cochran, who owns a guesthouse in the district, thinks Ms Graham looks weak when her father campaigns for her. “She should stand on her own two feet,” she says.

(Photo credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP)