By Zack Beauchamp, CQ Staff

Though Republican strategists knew they would face problems holding their ground in the House this year after their big setbacks in 2006, Republican Rep. Tom Feeney ’s re-election bid in Florida’s 24th Congressional District wasn’t initially in their top tier of trouble races. But signs of increasing competition — which have prompted CQ Politics to change its rating on the race — have added the central Florida seat to the GOP’s list of worries.

CQ Politics now rates the race Leans Republican, a change from the less competitive Republican Favored category. The change reflects the strong and well-funded challenge that Feeney, bidding for a fourth House term, is receiving from Democrat Suzanne Kosmas, a former state representative, and a persistent cloud over the incumbent caused by a past link to since-convicted Washington influence peddler Jack Abramoff.

Leans Republican means Feeney maintains an edge in the race, but that the contest is highly competitive, with an upset not a far-fetched possibility.

Political danger was not something Feeney and his allies contemplated when he was first elected to the House in 2002. While many House members have had district lines drawn in ways that personally boosted their prospects, Feeney had his own hand in shaping the 24th District in his past role as Speaker of the Florida House.

The resulting district, made up primarily of Orlando suburbs and areas of the “Space Coast,” has more registered Republicans than Democrats, and Feeney has won all three elections in the 24th since its creation by wide margins — the most recent of these a 58 percent to 42 percent win in 2006 over little-known Democrat Clint Curtis, who is seeking a rematch this year but is considered very unlikely to defeat Kosmas in the August 26th Democratic primary.

Yet even during the 2006 campaign, Democrats tried to raise allegations about a Feeney tie to Abramoff, and the issue has gained more prominence since. Feeney in 2003 took a golfing trip to Scotland funded by Abramoff, a perk similarly enjoyed by prominent House Republicans Tom Delay of Texas and Bob Ney of Ohio — both of whom resigned their seats in 2006 because of ethics controversies, with Ney going to prison after pleading guilty of accepting illegal gratuities from Abramoff. Feeney’s problems heightened last year when the Justice Department opened an investigation into his relationship with Abramoff, though the congressman has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Kosmas’ campaign hopes to use the matter to persuade voters that Feeney symbolizes traditional Washington politics, “more of the same,” in the words of Kosmas Campaign Manager Paul Dunn.

“People want a leader that they can trust,” Dunn continued. “Suzanne Kosmas is a well-respected member of the community whose local leadership shows she has what she needs” to represent the district.

Feeney, though, dismisses the Abramoff issue, saying he did nothing wrong. “The Scotland trip is five years old . . . I didn’t know the trip was paid for by Abramoff,” Feeney said. “When I found out Jack Abramoff had lied to me, I wrote a letter to the [House] ethics committee . . . I did the right thing and turned myself in.” Feeney contended that voters are far more concerned about issues such as the economy and high cost of energy.

Dan Smith, an associate professor of political science at the University of Florida, said Feeney should not be so quick to dismiss Abramoff as a campaign issue. “This race shouldn’t be competitive, but it is. Feeney has high negatives brought on by his own misdeeds, most notably his association with Abramoff,” Smith said.

Smith stated, “This race is still leaning Republican, but it’s much more in play” than in previous years.

He added that Feeney faces a strong challenger in Kosmas, especially given the support she has drawn for what began as a longshot bid from national groups such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s national House campaign organization, and EMILY’s List, which provides support and financial muscle to assist Democratic women candidates who favor abortion rights.

Kosmas’ campaign wasted no time touting its latest fundraising numbers, which included $1.1 million in total receipts — $450,000 of that in the year’s second quarter, running April 1-June 30 — with $925,000 cash on hand remaining at the end of that period. The Kosmas camp released these figures Wednesday, six days before the Federal Election Commission’s July 15 deadline for second-quarter reports.