While he is not on the ballot himself this year, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is hoping to use this election cycle to boost his stock in 2018 when he is expected to run for governor.
Putnam is starting to get active on the campaign trail as he readies for 2018. On Monday, he threw his support to Congressman David Jolly who is a heavy favorite over retired Marines General Mark Bircher in the Republican primary at the end of the month. Whoever wins will face former Gov. Charlie Crist in what is expected to be one of the most contested congressional elections in the nation.
"David Jolly has a proven record of putting people before politics and his community's interests before Washington's," Putnam said on Monday. "David has demonstrated he has the capability to break through the dysfunction in Washington. He is without a doubt the right man for the job."
"It's an honor to have Commissioner Putnam's support," Jolly said. "He's one of Florida's greatest leaders, committed always to economic growth and individual liberty - a free market constitutionalist whose support is a true honor."
This isn’t Putnam’s first endorsement of this election cycle. After first supporting Jeb Bush’s presidential bid, Putnam backed Donald Trump for the White House.
Putnam was also an early supporter of Sen. Marco Rubio when he decided at the last moment to run for a second term in the Senate.
"Now, more than ever, we need Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate,” Putnam said at the end of June when he endorsed Rubio. “The control of the Senate is going to come down to Florida, and without a Republican majority, we would be giving a green light to the disastrous policies of the last eight years. With Marco, we have the power to determine a Supreme Court nominee, the future of the disastrous Iran deal, and the future of our country, based on conservative policies and ideals. I wholeheartedly endorse Marco in his re-election bid, and I encourage all Floridians to unite in support."
Putnam has even backed candidates in state legislative contests including supporting Chuck Clemons in a contested GOP primary in North Florida. As for his own ambitions, Putnam told Politico back in May that he would not make a final decision about running for governor until after the November election.
