Looking to get their conservative credentials in order, the two leading Republicans looking to defeat Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November showcased their support from former presidential candidates on Tuesday.
Congressman Connie Mack, whose father held the Senate seat for two terms before not running for a third one in 2000 when Nelson won the seat, unveiled the endorsement of a prominent conservative on Tuesday afternoon -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. Bachmann is the Minnesota congresswoman who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2012 election cycle. Having won the Iowa Republican straw poll back in August before fading in the race, she remains a favorite of the tea party movement.
"Connie has been a steadfast fighter for freedom, less government and a fiscal hawk together with me in the United States Congress, Bachmann said. For every good proposal passed out of the House, the liberal Senate under Harry Reid and Bill Nelson has stopped it, including Connie's recent proposal to build the Keystone XL Pipeline without presidential approval.
Bachmann looked to link Mack to two fellow favorites of the tea party movement -- U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Senators like Marco Rubio and Rand Paul need other like-minded conservatives in the Senate to stop the liberals from tearing down our nation, Bachmann said. America needs Connie Mack in the U.S. Senate."
But Mack was not the only Republican looking to take down Nelson to win a major endorsement.
Over the weekend, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, another favorite of the tea party, announced that he was backing former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux for the Republican nomination to challenge Nelson. On Tuesday, the LeMieux team highlighted the endorsement from Cain who won the Presidency 5 straw poll in Orlando back in September in a major upset. Cain, a restaurant executive and radio host, emerged in the fall as a major contender for the Republican presidential nomination, but after a series of gaffes and accusations of extramarital affairs, Cain bowed out of the race.
I am honored to receive Herman Cains endorsement of my bid to return to the U.S. Senate, said LeMieux in a statement on Tuesday. Cain inspired the people of Florida with his showing at Presidency 5 and I am proud to have his support. This is further proof that our campaign is on the rise in Florida.
In a speech on Friday, Cain praised LeMieux in lavish terms.
This is the type of person that we need in Washington, D.C. -- people who are not afraid to challenge the establishment; people who are there to represent the people and not represent politics; people who understand that its time that we stop shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic and start solving stuff, Cain said about LeMieux. Thats the kind of senator that he is, thats the kind of senator that he will be.
Mack is looking to showcase his perch as the chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee this week as he continues to campaign across the Sunshine State. As Bachmann noted, Mack is a strong supporter of the Keystone XL Pipeline and will be touring Florida this week, pushing his petition to back that project. Mack was also in Miami on Tuesday as Gov. Rick Scott signed a measure to ensure the state would not do business with companies with ties to Cuba and Syria -- a measure that the congressman supported.
The appearance with Scott was not Macks only stab at increasing his support in South Florida this week. On Monday, Mack won the support of much of the Hialeah Republican leadership, including Mayor Carlos Hernandez, former Mayor Julio Robaina and all the members of the City Council. Mack also unveiled the support of Mayor Yioset De La Cruz of Hialeah Gardens.
"The amount of support our campaign has been shown by the Hialeah community and the Miami area, even before we started the campaign, has been overwhelming, Mack said. "I am grateful for the support of Mayor Hernandez, Mayor Robaina and the entire Hialeah City Council in our fight for freedom."
Miami is Mack country, and there is no better friend of freedom for the residents of Hialeah than Congressman Connie Mack," insisted Hernandez.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
