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Venerable GOP Pinellas Congressman Bill Young announced on Saturday night what had been heavily rumored to be the case in the last month - that indeed, he will run for re-election this November, and try for the 20th time to represent Florida's 10th Congressional District in Washington.

Young made his announcement at the Pinellas County Lincoln Day Dinner.  There were reports last fall that the now 79-year-old Representative was ready to make this his last term in office, and that in fact that he had hoped that Charlie Crist would have selected him to complete the remainder of Mel Martinez aborted full term as U.S. Senator (Crist ultimately selected his pal George LeMieux to the post).

In his comments last night, Young joked about his wife getting into the race, as the St. Pete Times reports:

"Beverly told me that if I didn't run, she was going to," Young said. So he thought, "maybe I better stay on the job."

One wonders how far off the mark that line is.  With the seat held by Young since 1970, rumors were strong (and might still be in two years time) that a family member may run for the seat after C.W. finally decides to call it a day.

Immediately after Young's announcement, his probable Democratic opponent in the fall, State Senator Charlie Justice, released a statement, where he continued his theme that Young is what John McCain might describe as a "porker", saying:

A huge sigh of relief is being heard from the special-interest lobbyists who fuel Congressman Bill Young's campaigns with contributions in return for questionable earmarks that have become symbolic of everything that is wrong with Washington.

Young has presided over decades of irresponsible spending and misguided policies that have hurt Florida families. While most Floridians struggle to stay afloat, Congressman Young has voted in lock-step with Republican naysayers who seem bent on ignoring the very real problems faced by Florida families and small businesses.

Proving how out-of-touch he is with the community, Congressman Young will actually brag about the 40 years of out-of-control pork-spending he is responsible for.

There's no question that Young will campaign on how much "bacon" he's brought home to the district, but the question as to whether that's considered "out of touch" is something that we have no idea about at this point.  Yes, Republicans nationally and in the Bay area, via the Tea Party movement, have been critical of members of Congress for their profligate spending ways over the years.  But when that spending is for one's own District, historically citizens haven't voted their members of Congress out of office because of that.

Nearly simultaneous with his statement on Young's official re-election announcement, the Justice camp issued out yet another press release blasting Young , this time accusing former staff and family members of the Congressman receiving over $100 million in Young earmarks, and mentions a specific earmark back in 2005, when Young was still Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

There is Tea Party element in this race.  Member - Eric Forcade- is also a candidate in the GOP primary.  Might he also knock the Congressman for his earmarks over the years as the campaign unwinds?  That would seem to be part and parcel of the Tea Bag movement.  We'll see what he has to say soon.  If nothing else though, Justice's aggressiveness in the past week indicates that for the first time in a long time, District 10 might be a competitive race, something rarely seen in most Congressional districts every two years.

In fact, that