With 2016 around the corner, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will be hosting the Sunshine Summit in Orlando from Nov. 12-Nov. 14 and the stakes will be high. The presidential hopefuls will take most of the spotlight but there’s another important race already taking shape as Rubio has said he will not run for a second Senate term. Florida Republicans Ron DeSantis, David Jolly, Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox are already off and running and they will be at the Sunshine Summit trying to win support for their Senate bids.
Continuing over the next few days, Sunshine State News will look at the presidential hopefuls who will be on stage at the Sunshine Summit and what is at stake as they take their messages to Republicans across Florida.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Ben Carson was a late entrant to the Sunshine Summit, announcing earlier this week he would attend the event in Orlando.
Carson’s inspiring rise to one of the most prominent surgeons in America and his conservative stances on the issues have launched him to the top of the polls. But conservative Republican primary candidates without electoral experience -- Pat Buchanan, Steve Forbes, Alan Keyes, Herman Cain -- all fizzled out. Carson’s job at the Sunshine Summit is to show he has what it takes to go the distance despite his inexperience on the campaign trail.
Certainly Carson brings some strong assets to the table. He is well regarded among Republicans in Florida and across the nation. His favorable numbers far outweigh his unfavorables both with Republicans and voters as a whole. As his speech against Obamacare at the National Prayer Breakfast shows, Carson can be excellent on the stump.
But with his rise will come increased scrutiny and attacks. Insiders are already writing Carson off, insisting his weak grasp of policy will doom his campaign.
Carson is also starting to draw major fire from Donald Trump. In recent days, Trump has turned up the heat on Carson, pointing to reports questioning the account Carson presented of his early days in his autobiography “Gifted Hands.” The media is also starting to pick away at comments Carson has made over the years, including his theory that the pyramids were built by the biblical figure Joseph to store grain instead of serving as the tombs of pharaohs. In the last debate, Carson refused to engage in sparring with some of the other candidates, but the attacks will only pick up in the weeks to come.
At the Sunshine Summit, Carson has to show Florida Republicans he is not a fluke. Carson needs to convince the GOP activists in the ultimate swing state that he can take a punch and won’t fade the way so many conservatives and candidates who never held elected office have. At the same time, he needs to play to his strengths: conservative principles, likable, inspiring story. Most importantly, Carson needs to show Florida Republicans he can sit behind the desk at the Oval Office.
These are tough assignments to be sure. But Carson has been one of the surprises of the race so far and his favorability numbers are far more solid than Cain’s or Buchanan’s ever were. At the Sunshine Summit, Carson has the chance to dispel some of the doubts and prove he is a contender for the long haul.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
