National Attention for Mike Haridopolos' U.S. Senate Ambitions

No surprise on this one as Politico ran a story late on Thursday that Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, confirmed that he was planning to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.

Haridopolos confirmed his plans to Politico after the Florida media reported that the state legislator had invited donors to a strategy session in Orlando next month, wrote Alexander Burns. A prodigious fund-raiser who helped his party win a veto-proof majority in the state Senate last year, Haridopolos said he remains focused on the job of leading the Senate through the next legislative session but was moving ahead with low-key preparations to run against Nelson.