With the national media reporting that Republican strategists are urging Ben Carson to get out of the presidential race and run for the Senate, a new candidate could be looking to replace Marco Rubio.
The Washington Examiner reported on Tuesday that Carson was being urged to jump over from the presidential contest to the Senate race while CNN reported on Wednesday that GOP operatives would make their case to Carson later in the day on why he should focus on the Sunshine State.
At first glance, the reports are a little puzzling. While he relocated to South Florida after ending his celebrated medical career, Carson doesn’t exactly have the deepest ties to the Sunshine State.
Carson isn’t exactly soaring in Florida. In three polls released last week, Carson struggled in single digits, well behind Donald Trump and Marco Rubio.
But dig a little deeper in the polls. Sure, Carson’s taking only 5 percent in PPP’s poll of the Republican presidential field in Florida. But it’s also pretty evident that Florida Republicans like Carson; they just don’t want to see him in the White House.
The PPP poll showed 65 percent of Florida Republicans see Carson in a favorable light. That’s the highest percentage of any of the Republican presidential hopefuls, even as Trump had a commanding lead in the poll. Carson also had the lowest unfavorable number with only 18 percent of those surveyed viewing him unfavorably.
Carson’s numbers are even more impressive compared to how the current crop of GOP Senate candidates fared in the PPP poll.
Pinellas County Congressman David Jolly led the field with 26 percent followed by fellow Congressman Ron DeSantis with 14 percent, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera with 11 percent and veteran and businessman Todd Wilcox lagging behind with 3 percent. But almost half of those surveyed--47 percent--are not sure who they will back. Manatee County businessman Carlos Beruff, who entered the race in recent days, was not included in the poll.
The poll finds none of the three leading Republicans are well known, even with likely primary voters. Jolly is seen as favorable by 16 percent of those surveyed while 13 percent view him in an unfavorable light and 71 percent are not sure about him. DeSantis is even less known with 11 percent seeing him favorably, 14 percent unfavorably while 75 percent are not sure. Lopez-Cantera is the most unknown candidate with 77 percent not sure about him with 9 percent view him favorably and 14 percent see him in an unfavorable light.
The poll of 464 likely Florida Republican primary voters was taken from Feb. 24-Feb. 25 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percent.
Carson is far better known than any of the current candidates and, if he entered the fray, would probably move to the head of the pack, at least at the start of the contest. Granted, Florida Republicans are far more concerned with the presidential race than the Senate contest and that will be the case until the March 15 primary.
But even after the primary, the Senate candidates will find much of the spotlight will remain on the presidential race. With so many media markets in Florida, the Senate hopefuls will have to sprint across the Sunshine State over a five month period. If he enters the contest, Carson will have the advantage of being far better known and liked than any of his rivals.
Carson also has the right background for many Florida Republicans. In recent years, Republican primary voters in the Sunshine State have rallied behind candidates who have never held elected office over established politicians. Rick Scott, Pam Bondi, Ted Yoho, Curt Clawson and Trey Radel all benefited from this trend. So could Carson though Beruff and Wilcox will make much the same case.
To be sure, Carson has his share of vulnerabilities from his lack of ties to the Sunshine State to his often puzzling public pronouncements. Carson’s campaign team and operations haven’t exactly been models for future candidates. Nor does Carson seem to do well with the give and take of political attacks and he would certainly draw some heavy fire if he enters the Senate race. But, even with all that being the case, he would be a major contender for the Republican nomination if he bows out of the presidential contest and enters the Senate race in Florida.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
