State Sen. Jack Latvala is all in for Florida governor, officially kicking off his campaign in Hialeah Wednesday morning.
“Let’s go ahead and announce it,” Latvala said. “I am running for governor.”
The South Florida stop was the first of three for Latvala -- the Clearwater Republican also planned to make similar announcements in Clearwater and Panama City later in the day.
Accompanied by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hiealeah and former state Sen. Roberto Casas, Latvala branded himself as the straight-shooter candidate who would remain honest with voters no matter what.
“I may not be the young candidate for governor. I may not be the best-looking candidate for governor,” he said. “I’m not the most physically fit candidate for governor, and I’m probably not even the smartest candidate for governor. But I will be the candidate who tells it to you straight, who if he gives you his word, will keep my word.”
The gubernatorial run comes as no surprise -- last week, Latvala officially filed his paperwork to run for the governor’s mansion.
Latvala is the second big-name Republican to jump in the governor’s race if he goes all in next week.
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam was the first GOP candidate to declare he was running for governor and has been working furiously to fundraise for his campaign, already raising $17 million for his gubernatorial bid so far.
Latvala poked at “career politician” Putnam, trashing him for connections to the nation’s capital.
“I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Tallahassee become like Washington D.C.,” Latvala said.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran is also said to be eyeing a run for the governor’s mansion. Corcoran hasn’t declared he’s running for governor -- yet -- but he hasn’t wasted any time reeling in the dough for a potential gubernatorial bid, raising more than $820,000 last month.
Corcoran’s total fundraising haul comes out to nearly $3 million raised since May.
U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., is also a possible gubernatorial candidate.
Latvala has also been moving ahead with his own fundraising, stuffing his war chest full of campaign cash for a gubernatorial bid.
Last month, Latvala announced he had raised $336,000 through his “Florida Leadership Committee,” leaving him with nearly $4 million cash on hand.
Latvala, considered a moderate candidate, nabbed the praise of the Florida Democratic Party on Wednesday.
"We thank the Republican state senator for highlighting Governor Rick Scott's failed economic policies, Commissioner Adam Putnam's eagerness to pander for campaign contributions, and Speaker Richard Corcoran's failure to get anything done despite a Republican majority,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Johanna Cervone.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
