TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A year after complaining about his congressional salary, first-term incumbent Republican Steve Southerland from Panama City hopes to hold off former longtime Democratic state lawmaker Al Lawson of Tallahassee in Florida's 2nd Congressional District.
Southerland is a 47-year-old Panama City mortician. He defeated seven-term Democrat Allen Boyd in 2010 when Republicans regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The 64-yar-old Lawson was a basketball star at Florida A&M University and played briefly in the pros before starting a 28-year legislative career in 1982.
The 2nd Congressional District covers the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle. It has leaned Republican in recent elections although the largest city is Tallahassee, a heavily leaning Democratic area.