Vowing to fight for a “conservative agenda” in Washington, D.C., former New Smyrna Beach Mayor Adam Barringer kicked off his bid for the Republican nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., in Congress. With DeSantis running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, the GOP is expected to have an easy time holding onto this seat in a solidly Republican district.
Barringer stressed his local ties to the district, offering a subtle contrast with some of his opponents who have parachuted into the race from outside of it, including former U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams, R-Fla., and outgoing Duval County Sheriff John Rutherford.
"I grew up in New Smyrna Beach within the 6th Congressional District of Florida,” Barringer said on Monday. “This is where I went to middle and high school, where I've built my successful small businesses and where the people here twice elected me their hometown mayor. I know and love this part of our great state, and believe I am the best candidate to represent this area and our shared Republican values.”
Barringer promised to fight for a “reform agenda that relies on free-market principles” and stressed his “conservative agenda includes the following key points: health care, tax reform, education, national defense, and our natural resources.”
Calling for a repeal of President Barack Obama’s federal health-care law, Barringer also vowed to take on the IRS.
“Like millions of Americans who are just trying to manage their family finances or run a small business, I've had to battle with the IRS,” Barringer said. “The IRS tax regulations and statutes contain over 4 million words. It is fair to say, the statutes and codes are complicated, now add in the politics of the IRS. We all know the IRS blatantly targeted conservative groups, while we had a Democrat in the White House. These experiences have taught me one thing -- we need to adopt the FairTax. In addition, Congress must work to eliminate government overregulation and get out of the way of small businesses.”
Barringer also jabbed Obama’s handling of the VA and called for less federal control of education.
“Spending more money in Washington, D.C., on education is not the answer,” Barringer insisted. “We must return education and curriculum decisions to parents and teachers. This starts with eliminating Common Core.”
Barringer joins a potentially crowded primary. Adams and Rutherford are already running for the Republican nomination. State Sen. Dorothy Hukill, former St. Johns County Commissioner Mark Miner, former state Rep. Doc Renuart, state Rep. David Santiago and St. Johns County School Board member Beverly Slough could also join the Republican primary.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
