Candidates are starting to line up across Florida to run for office in 2018 but one big name will be sitting on the sidelines next year.
Despite being courted by national Republicans to run for Congress to defend the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera said that he will not run for office in 2018.
Lopez-Cantera talked to the Miami Herald about his decision on Sunday.
“There is still a lot of work to be done and I will continue to look for ways to be a part of the solution,” Lopez-Cantera told the Miami Herald. “I may run for public office again, but not in 2018.”
Lopez-Cantera, who was named to his post by Gov. Rick Scott in 2014, plans to spend time with his family and he left the door open to running for office in the future, including for mayor of Miami-Dade County.
In the meantime, while he will not run for office himself, Lopez-Cantera told the Miami Herald that he plans to be active on the campaign trail, supporting other candidates.
“I will also be supporting candidates and causes that lower the cost of government on our citizens, such as the upcoming constitutional amendment for an additional homestead exemption,” Lopez-Cantera said.
The lieutenant governor has already started getting active in 2018. Earlier this month, Lopez-Cantera endorsed Sanford businessman Scott Sturgill to challenge U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., in what is expected to be one of the most competitive congressional races in the Sunshine State next year.
Lopez-Cantera made his political debut in 2002 when he unsuccessfully ran for the Florida House. Two years later, he won a House seat, rising to become GOP whip and then House majority leader before facing term limits in 2012. Lopez-Cantera ran for and was elected Miami Dade County property appraiser before being named to his current post by Gov. Rick Scott at the start of 2014. In 2015, Lopez-Cantera launched a bid for the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race but he dropped out of the race when U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced he would run for a second term. Back in December, Lopez-Cantera was named as part of the leadership team of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association (RLGA) focusing on policy.
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