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Politics

Ted Yoho Considering Entering 2016 Race to Replace Marco Rubio in Senate

July 28, 2015 - 11:45am

With a new poll showing around half of Florida Republicans remain undecided on who they want to see replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in the Senate in 2016, a new contender could be in the mix: U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla. Supporters close to Yoho told Sunshine State News on Tuesday that the North Florida congressman is looking at entering the race but is far from making a final decision on it. 

“He’s looking closely at it,” a supporter close to Yoho confirmed to Sunshine State News. “This isn’t prompted by redistricting, though that could be a factor depending on how it goes. Ted’s concerned that too many members of the Republican establishment, the guys who promised to clean up Washington but didn’t, are in the primary. There’s no one who can be the voice of grassroot conservatives across the state and that is what Ted can be.”

Yoho could be facing  a crowded field if he enters the primary. U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., is expected to announce whether he is running for the Senate or not next month. Miller, Yoho and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., are all based out of North Florida, dividing that conservative region, while U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., tries to nail down Tampa Bay and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera is based out of South Florida. Businessman Todd Wilcox, a political newcomer who is running, is based out of Orlando, not too far from the home base of former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum who is another possible candidate. 

Calling for term limits and taking aim at career politicians, Yoho, a large-animal veteran based out of Gainesville, shocked the political world when he defeated U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., who had served 24 years in Congress, in the Republican primary back in 2012. Sitting on the Agriculture and Foreign Affairs committees, Yoho has been one of the leading conservatives in the Florida delegation and a favorite of the tea party movement. Yoho voted against U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to lead the House twice and even challenged him for the gavel earlier this year. 

“Yoho isn’t a creature of Washington or Tallahassee,” a supporter close to the congressman told Sunshine State News. “Florida conservatives like outsiders -- and that’s what Ted Yoho is and something the rest of the Republicans aren’t. He’s shown backbone in taking on John Boehner while too many so-called conservatives made a lot of noise about breaking with the speaker but, at the end of the day, they backed Boehner.”

On the Democratic side, U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson and Patrick Murphy are running for the Senate. Republican strategist Roger Stone is looking at running as a Libertarian. 

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN

Comments

Since the 2000 election, when Jeb Bush made sure the State of Florida would improperly tip the results of the national election to ensure his older brother, George jr. Bush, would win the President's race against Al Gore, the Florida Republican Party has repeatedly gotten caught trying to "steal" our right and ability to have a free, honest and valid election process that guarantees an accurate tabulation of votes cast by all registered Florida voters. The latest effort to steal our elections by way of gerrymandering our elective district boundary lines to favor friends or Republican candidates follows the repeated attempts to disenfranchise black voters by improperly denying them them the right to vote at the polls on voting day, a consistent pattern successfully followed since Jeb Bush denied black voters the right to vote in 2000, Yoho is no favorite of the establishment Republicans, being way too far out even for the more rabid wingnuts of the mainstream party members. Perhaps he knows which way the wind may blow and is making plans to take his next step to become a long term millionaire politician in Washington DC. Being a member of the upper chamber, as a US Senator, would appeal to Teddy's self-image. Frankly, getting rid of Ted Yoho who took all he could get while a young upstart living off Florida taxpayers on Food Stamps and other forms of public aid for college students and now tries to block anyone attempting to secure a college education today would be great! Other than doing favors for his family, friends and political henchmen, who has Teddy Yoho helped in this country? Honestly, could someone jot something down that he has done to earn his congressman's pay these last couple of years that is verifiable? I support Ted Yoho's choice to take his next step as a Republican politician, and climb up over the other wonderful specimens crawling in the Republican Primary mudhole. Meanwhile, it seems to me that we had some excellent candidates who ran against Yoho when the voting district lines were manipulated to promote only right wing Republican candidates (although the Republicans were hoping for someone a little more "manageable" than Teddy boy has turned out to be). This election, in 2016 may turn out to be not so bad, after all! Thank you League of Women Voters and all the others who protected our voting rights and right to have representation in court. You deserve the thanks of every honest Florida voter, no matter what political party or ideology to which they may ascribe. The argument that the Florida Democratic Party also gerrymandered district boundaries for elected office when the Dixiecrats ran the state is quite accurate, and all the more reason why we need to take the politician's hands permanently out of the cookie jar and have independent boards or committees of good honest citizens who are intelligent and capable of creating fair, honest non-partisan district maps for Florida elections. Perhaps the League of Women Voters is already crafting a Florida Constitutional Amendment to create such an independent board to draft our future elective office district boundary lines. Is there a better group to do it? Seems like the League of Women Voters is one of the best non-partisan organizations we have in this country. Over the decades, they have protected and championed the rights of American citizens over and over again. And they very often win, don't they? Thank you once again, folks. Our elections held in Florida have been an embarrassing mess, over and over again since 2000. Maybe we can start to clean up the mess and toss all the politician bums out of office in 2016. We have a lot of work to do to keep our country safe and on a sane, conscientious path toward a better future. And we can do it!

Yoho is a mouth breathing moron. It's an embarrassment he's in the House. He was zero prayer of becoming a Senator.

District 1 is for Yoho (jeff Miller is still trying to figure out what the initials "VA" stand for...but his main problem is he keeps asking Corrine Brown,..and she thinks it is the abbreviation for "Vitamin-A"... [but she WAS able to spell it] . Just goes to show you just how many times she has visited a Veterans hospital...)

If you have followed what the congressman has done. You would not make allegations like the ones above. He has constantly stood for the constitution and has fought for the rights of us little people that make up this country. God Bless him and the American Comback. Ted Yoho for Us Senate.

"Far from making a decision"?. That's just what we need, another guy who can't make his own mind up. Either you want the job or not! I also must admit that when I see or hear his name the only thing which comes to mind is a familiar Pirate song from Disney!

He would not have a prayer!! Should stay where he is and run in 2018.

That is the funniest thing I've ever heard. He barely won reelection for the house seat. I live in FL-CD 3, have never voted for Yoho!! Go David Jolly!!

Uh dude, Ted beat his primary opponent with 80% of the vote. Then he stomped on the democrat. What world are you living in?

My sentiments, exactly!

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