Mack and Nelson never served in the Senate at the same time but their political histories are somewhat tangled together. First elected to the Senate in 1988, Mack served two terms before retiring in 2000 and Nelson beat then-U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., for the open seat. In 2012, Macks son -- then-U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fla. -- ran against Nelson but came up short in the general election.
Despite ties to former Gov. Charlie Crist, Mack announced on Thursday he was backing Gov. Rick Scott for another term. Mack had often been aligned with Crist when the former governor was a Republican, including chairing Crists U.S. Senate campaign in 2010 when he was still in the GOP fold. After being caught in the primary by Marco Rubio, Crist bolted the GOP to run for the Senate with no party affiliation. In December 2012, Crist switched over to the Democrats and is now his new partys nominee against Scott.
Mack praised Scotts record on Thursday in the endorsement.
Im proud to announce my wholehearted endorsement of Gov. Rick Scott for re-election, Mack said. I have had the opportunity to work with both Gov. Scott and Charlie Crist. Under Gov. Scott, Florida has created over 640,000 private-sector jobs, unemployment has dropped from 11.1 percent to 6.3 percent, the state debt has been cut by $4 billion, and tourism is at a record high. Under Charlie, over 830,000 jobs were lost and he burdened families with $2.2 billion in tax increases.
Mack also weighed in on his former allys political switches.
I am surprised and disappointed that for obvious political calculations he went from one day being a Reaganite to the next day hugging the extreme liberal policies of President Obama, Mack said about Crist. This change doesnt reveal a new perspective on the world. It reveals a serious character flaw based solely on ambition. Its sad.
The former senator contrasted Crist with Scott.
"Gov. Scott is a leader, a man of his word, and hes kept his promise of making Florida the best place to live, work and raise a family, Mack said. That is exactly why Im putting all of my support behind him to keep us moving forward for four more years.
Crist received some help from Nelson, whose name garnered some buzz as a potential Democratic candidate against Scott. While Nelson left the door open to running against Scott, he eventually stayed out of the contest and threw his weight behind Crist.
In an email to Crist supporters, Nelson weighed in on global warming, pointing to the King Tides impact on Florida and taking aim at Scott on the issue.
When it comes to the effects of sea-level rise, Florida will be ground zero, Nelson noted. Unfortunately, though, what we have right now is a governor who declares hes not a scientist to justify ignoring the problem.
Rick Scotts opponent in next months election is Charlie Crist, Nelson continued. In response to the governors recent comment, Charlie said: I'm not a scientist either -- but I can use my brain and I can talk to one.
Now thats the kind of common sense Florida needs in the governors office, Nelson added. And thats why I hope youll join me and other Florida Democrats to make sure Charlie Crist wins in November ... While scientists and researchers indicate South Florida will be hit the hardest, make no mistake about it, the entire state of Florida from Miami to Jacksonville will feel the effects. We dont need a scientist -- what we need is a leader.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
