Mitt Romney Gets the Backing of Will Weatherford, Dorworth and Corcoran

With Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts in Tallahassee on Wednesday, three future leaders of the Florida House -- incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, Rep. Chris Dorworth, R-Lake Mary, and Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Trinity -- announced they were backing him. All three had been behind former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota who pulled out of the race back in August.

I am honored to have the support of Representatives Weatherford, Dorworth and Corcoran, said Romney. They are the current and future leaders of the Republican Party in Florida. As I visit the state and reach out to voters, I look forward to working with these leaders to fix our economy and bring jobs back to Florida. They share my pro-growth agenda and with their help, we can defeat President Obama in 2012.

I am proud to get behind Mitt Romney in this election, said Weatherford, who will take the gavel after the 2012 elections. He has the vision and experience that will be necessary to put our country back on the right path. President Obamas policies are creating uncertainty and killing jobs in this country. With millions of Americans unemployed, Florida voters are looking for a candidate who will be able to turn this economy around.

Provided their majority in the Florida House holds, Republicans have penciled in Dorworth to take over as speaker after the 2014 elections and Corcoran to take over after the 2016 election cycle.