Connie Mack's Team Claims Momentum in Senate Race

While most eyes are on the battle for the Republican presidential nomination and the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature which opens next week, the team behind U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who is running for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, continues to plan ahead for their campaign.

Jeff Cohen, Macks campaign manager, sent out a memo on Thursday to key supporters arguing that his candidate had great momentum in the race.

Every public poll that has been released has Connie with a significant lead in the Republican primary, Cohen argued. The latest poll, by TelOpinion Research, shows him with a massive lead. Moreover, that poll and others show other candidates continuing to collapse.

Insisting his candidate was in solid shape to win the Republican nomination, Cohen noted that Mack had won the backing of key GOP leaders includinga new supporter -- U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, the only member of the House Ways and Means Committee from the Sunshine State. Buchanan had considered entering the Senate race.

Cohen argued that Mack was in a good position to take on Nelson come November.

The polling data strongly suggest that Connie is the most well-positioned candidate to win the Republican nomination and to beat liberal Senator Bill Nelson in November, Cohen wrote.

With Mack entering the race in late November after first passing on the chance to run for the Senate seat that his father held for 12 years, Cohen also claimed a bit of fundraising success.

With Connies very late entry into the Senate race and the challenges of the holiday season, we planned our fundraising goals conservatively for the fourth quarter, with a stretch goal of raising $500,000, Cohen maintained. While the campaign will be tallying our fundraising results for the next several days, I am pleased to report that it appears we will achieve, if not exceed, that goal. We will update you on the final results after they have been confirmed.