While U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said this week that he would not run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, some of the leading hopefuls for the GOP nod have expressed interest in bringing the Floridian on the ticket. Earlier in the week, during an appearance on Sean Hannitys radio show, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota placed Rubio at the top of his list of potential vice presidential candidates Having already heard from Pawlenty, the next possible presidential candidate looking to woo Republicans in the Legislature will come calling on Thursday. Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi will be speaking to the House Republicans that evening From his perch as chairman of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committees Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns is calling for investigation of the U.S. Department of Energys Loan Guaranty Program. Stearns pointed to a report from the Center for Public Integrity that maintained that the Energy Department was more favorable to backing loans for companies linked to fund-raisers for President Obama
Reports have been circulating around the state and in the Beltway that former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux will announce next week that he will seek the Republican nomination to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson who is running for a third term in 2012. While a survey from Public Policy Polling (PPP) taken between March 24 and March 27 showed Nelson beating LeMieux and other possible Republican candidates by double digits, the incumbent remained below 50 percent against all of the possible GOP hopefuls save for Senate President Mike Haridopolos of Merritt Island Former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, who is also close to launching a bid against Nelson, enjoyed a moment in the national conservative spotlight this week, making an appearance on Hugh Hewitts radio show After saying in late March that he had no interest in challenging Nelson, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack has been busy in his work as chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. Mack slammed President Barack Obamas administration for not pushing Colombia hard enough to extradite a drug kingpin, Wallid Makled Garcia, to the United States. Colombia will be extraditing Garcia to Venezuela -- a country whose leadership, namely Hugo Chavez, Mack has been extremely vocal in condemning. Mack also called for the Obama administration to approve the Keystone XL pipeline plan which would extend from oilfields in Canada to the U.S. .
With Esteban Bovo resigning his seat in the Florida House to run for the Miami-Dade County Commission, three Republican candidates have filed to run in the special election which has been set for May 24: Frank Lago, who was chief of staff to Sweetwater Mayor Manuel Marono; businessman Jose Oliva, and former Marco Rubio aide Rafael Perez Speaking of Bovo, HB 5005,the bill he introduced to lower state regulations on more than 20 industries, has been shifted off to Rep. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, who chairs the House Economic Affairs Committee The Florida Movers and Warehousemens Association (FMWA) came out against HB 5005 this week, arguing that the measure will hurt consumers. The FMWA maintained that the regulation laws, which had been in place since 2002, hindered the efforts of unscrupulous movers and thieves
Activists will be holding protests on Saturday on a number of issues. The Nature Coast Coalition for Peace and Justice, led by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Socialist Party presidential nominee Brian Moore, will be in Weeki Wachee opposing American involvement in Libya and the increased use of nuclear power plants in the state and nation Celebrate Solidarity Tallahassee will hold a rally at the Capitol on Saturday to oppose budget cuts backed by Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican leadership in the Legislature. Tallahassee City Commissioner Andrew Gillum, who briefly challenged Rod Smith to lead the Florida Democratic Party, will be speaking at the event The two surviving candidates in the Jacksonville mayoral race -- Republican Mike Hogan and Democrat Alvin Brown -- have started the debate over debates. Both Hogan and Brown have accepted television debate appearances, but from different stations.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
