After releasing a Web video last week, on Monday morning, Beruff held a media event at Vicky’s Bakery and offered voters a biographical introduction.
“I’m a husband and father, I’m a homebuilder, I’m a Florida businessman,” Beruff said. “ But most of all I’m a proud American, and like many people, I’m fed up…This country that has given me so much is on the verge of slipping away from us. That’s why today, I am announcing that I am running for the U.S. Senate. I’m not running with permission from Washington. It’s time to get rid of the Washington political class, and bring in a whole new crop of people who will not accept the failures of our federal government, and who won’t take no for an answer.
“When my mother fled Cuba and raised us here, I won the lottery because I was able to grow up in the greatest country on earth – the United States of America," Beruff added. “This next chapter of my life isn't a choice for me, it's an obligation. I believe that I have an obligation to my family, and every American who loves this country like I do.”
Beruff turned his fire towards President Barack Obama and his policies.
“Obama has taken us down a socialist path…creating a culture of government dependency…weakening our military…and harming our economy with regulations that kill jobs,” Beruff insisted. “The bottom line is that the Obama administration thinks more government is the solution. Government is the problem, not the solution. My name is Carlos Beruff and I’m running for the United States Senate, because it’s time to put America first.”
Beruff had appearances in Jacksonville, Orlando and Sarasota scheduled for later in the day.
The new candidate has been active in politics as a major donor for several leading Florida Republicans. Gov. Rick Scott named Beruff to the Southwest Florida Water Management Board.
Beruff joins U.S. Reps. Ron DeSantis and David Jolly, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and businessman Todd Wilcox in the Republican primary.
DeSantis’ team welcomed Beruff to the race by noting his past support for former Gov. Charlie Crist who left the GOP in 2010 to run for the U.S. Senate with no party affiliation before endorsing Obama and joining the Democrats in 2012.
Beruff’s team pushed back on Friday morning as it pointed to emails DeSantis sent their boss asking for fundraising support. In those emails, DeSantis showcased his backing from Karl Rove and American Crossroads PAC.
“Voters are sick and tired of the games being played in Washington,” said Chris Hartline, a spokesman for Beruff. “While Congressman Ron DeSantis claims to be an outsider who hasn’t been changed by Washington, his actions speak louder than his words. If it looks like a Washington insider and it quacks like a Washington insider, you better believe it’s a Washington insider. There is only one candidate in this race who’s a true conservative outsider, and that’s Carlos Beruff.”
DeSantis’ team insisted the congressman was only trying to arrange a courtesy meeting with Beruff. Brad Harold, DeSantis‘ campaign manager, doubled down on his attacks against Beruff, on Friday.
“Ron DeSantis has never met or had a conversation with Charlie Crist Republican, Carlos Beruff," Harold said. “But if Mr. Beruff would like to change his mind and support our campaign to help us fight his brand of crony capitalism in Washington, we’d gladly take it. It would be the first time he’s supported the conservative candidate in a U.S. Senate race in Florida.”
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy’s, D-Fla., team fired off five questions for the new candidate on Monday morning.
“Would Beruff support Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee?" the Murphy camp asked. “Would Beruff join Republicans in obstructing President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee and refuse to meet any nominee like other vulnerable GOP senators? Does Beruff agree with his rivals that Planned Parenthood should be defunded? And does he agree with Marco Rubio that there should not be exceptions for abortion in the cases of rape or incest? Does Beruff stand with his rivals David Jolly and Ron DeSantis against banning people on the terrorist watch list from buying guns? Would Beruff support raising the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare to age 70 like Rep. DeSantis?”
Brian Swensen, Lopez-Cantera’s campaign manager, also welcomed Beruff to the race and took aim at his record.
"We welcome Mr. Beruff in the race; the more the merrier,” Swensen said. “With his entrance, Florida voters are getting another unknown candidate who can say the right things on the stump but doesn't represent their values. What voters do know is that Beruff is on the wrong side of the issues that matter to them: he supports open trade with Cuba and supported Charlie Crist as a Democrat. Lopez-Cantera is still the only candidate in the race who has been vetted statewide with a record of delivering conservative solutions.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
