This week, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., appeared at U.S. Sen. Marco Rubios, R-Fla., presidential campaign kickoff even as the congressman mulls over running to replace him in the Senate.
Talking to Sunshine State News on Monday, Rooney praised Rubios speech highly and pointed to his leadership in the Florida House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Sunshine State News asked Rooney if he was considering running for the Senate in 2016.
I'm thinking about it," Rooney told us. Im trying to figure out if its something I want to do because it wasnt really in the cards a couple of weeks ago.
Rooney said if he did run he would draw on his experience in the Army, which included teaching at West Point, and focus on national security in his campaign. Looking ahead to 2016, Rooney said national security will be one of the top issues and whoever runs for the Senate in Florida will need to tackle it.
The candidates better be talking about it, said Rooney about national security issues.
Noting there are few veterans in Congress, Rooney said voters need more candidates with military experience.
Asked when he will make a decision about the race, Rooney said he could wait until summer to decide whether or not to run since it takes time to launch a bid for statewide office. Rooney told Sunshine State News he will not make a hasty decision and, if he gets in, wants to make sure he does it the right way.
You have to have a first-class operation in place, so when you do pull the trigger and run, all wheels are firing, Rooney said.
Rooney is looking at an increasingly growing field of candidates mulling over Senate runs. U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., launched a Senate bid last month while U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., has left the door open to challenging him in the Democratic primary.
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and former Florida Senate President Don Gaetz announced on Tuesday that they were considering a Senate bid. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., are also possible candidates. So are former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla. and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera.
Ed Dean, a senior editor with SSN whose talk-show can be heard on radio stations across Florida, can be reached at ed@sunshinestatenews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @eddeanradio.
