U.S. Representative Connie Mack (R-FL) on NewsMakers 6-19-11
Mack is back.
Seven months after scratching his name off a list of possible Republican contenders for U.S. Senate in 2012, Rep. Connie Mack is rejoining the hunt, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday night.
“Connie Mack is running for the U.S. Senate,” David James, a senior adviser to Mack, told the Herald. “He is making calls. He is assembling a team. And he will have more to announce about the run in the weeks ahead.”
Mack will certainly juice up the race for the Republican nomination.
None of the other candidates in the race — former state Rep. Adam Hasner, former Sen. George LeMieux, former Ruths Chris steakhouse executive Craig Miller and Col. Mike McCalister, who ran for Florida governor in 2008 — have fared well in polls against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat who is seeking a third term.
Mack previously endorsed Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, but he dropped out of the race over the summer.
When asked why Mack changed his mind, James told the Politico website that Mack had been looking for a candidate to emerge who could beat Nelson but “that did not happen.”
In March, Mack announced that he would not be in the running for Nelson’s Senate seat, but would instead seek re-election to his House seat. He said in March the time was right “politically,” but it was not the right time for his family.
“Sometimes you have to put your family and friends above political ambition, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to shy away from the political fight in ’12,” Mack said at the time. “I will continue to be a voice, I will continue to hold Sen. Nelson’s feet to the fire. You can’t go to Washington and be one of the most liberal senators in Washington and then come back to Florida and claim that he is a moderate.”
In the meantime, Mack has kept a high profile promoting his “Penny Plan” to balance the federal budget by cutting total federal spending — mandatory and discretionary — by 1 percent each year for the next six years. He’s become a familiar face on Sean Hannity’s radio and television shows.
In August he held a town hall meeting at the Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers to tout the plan.
“If we’re able to pass this legislation, we will balance our budget in eight years,” Mack told the crowd. “We will put Washington back on a path that is fiscally responsible.”
Mack was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2004. His congressional district covers parts of Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties.
Nelson won his seat after Mack’s father, Connie Mack III, retired in 2001.
“It’s time for him to go,” Mack said.
Read more: The Miami Herald story
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Comments » 6
RayPray writes:
This great great news!
California needs a brainy Republican senator....
NobodysFool57 writes:
Family name recognition got him into the House 6 years ago. He has no significant accomplishments to his name, yet thinks he's entitled to be a senator. Unless he and his republican and tea party colleagues start putting the unemployed back to work, they'll be looking for work themselves next November.
August8 writes:
Somebodiesfool !!!!!
Like Nelson has set the world on fire as a lib !!!Time to turn the State Of Florida completely over to good Republicans so this mess can be cleaned up?? ex--Free Jolly Bridge, Porkulas, where are those jobs now, how many, how long, Marco Really needed this free bridge !!
JohninMarco writes:
Wait till this fool has to debate his rival. He always refused to do this while in the house. He is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
KlausStoertebeker writes:
"Time to turn the State Of Florida completely over to good Republicans so this mess can be cleaned up??"
Republicans under W. Bush created the situation. Why shall they clean up? Some peoples stupidity is just beat by their ignorance to face the reality. And what is good Republican? Better 10 Obama than one Sarah Palin.
NobodysFool57 writes:
Wow! Your post is almost as incoherent as something from Klabzilibeker. I do recognize your handle though, a cop-sucker who defended the 25 year police veteran who thought he could do 80 in a 35 zone without lights or siren and got fired for it. I have nothing against "good republicans", it's just the last one I can remember was Dwight Eisenhower.
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