ORLANDO, Fla. – Congressman John Mica announced he will now seek re-election in Central Florida. Mica will likely be going head-to-head for the same seat against Republican Sandy Adams in the newly drawn District 7
"I told everyone I would wait until I saw the districts as they were decided by the legislature," Mica said. "They have exercised their constitutional responsibility and I've made my decision."
Mica said the newly drawn districts put most of his existing support in District 7 covering Winter Park, Altamonte Springs and Deltona.
"The people will decide this race. They know me, they know my record. There's not going to be any back room political deals made," Mica said.
Adams said last week Mica told her he was running in District 6 preventing a head-to-head showdown. Now iti could be Adams, a single-term tea party favorite versus Mica, a 20-year veteran of Congress and chairman of the transportation committee.
Mica made his announcement at the airport to signify his accomplishments in bringing big dollars to the region.
"We both have distinguished careers--one longer than the other," Adams said. "And at the end of the day I hope we don't have to run against each other."
Adams says she's waiting to see if several lawsuits against the new districts might change the boundaries in her favor.
"We have changed the discussion in Washington. Everyone knows Washington is broken," Adams said. "And the discussion has changed from how much do we spend, to how much can we save the hardworking taxpayers."