Two more presidential hopefuls announced Monday they will show up in Orlando next month for the Republican Party of Florida’s Sunshine Summit.
The RPOF revealed that Gov. Chris Christie, R-NJ, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., will be attending the event. They join six Republican presiential candidates -- former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and businessman Donald Trump -- all of whom announced last week they would be attending the summit.
"As our list of participating candidates continues to grow, we are excited to welcome Gov. Christie and Sen. Paul to the Sunshine Summit in Orlando,” said state Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, the chairman of the RPOF. “With eight candidates announced to attend, and more to come, the Sunshine Summit is turning out to be the can't-miss event of the primary election."
Christie is upside down with Republicans in some polls of key states but the New Jersey governor scored points in the second presidential debate and is stressing his outsider status to Washington.
“I would rather jump off the Brooklyn Bridge than be in Congress,” Christie said on Sunday when he appeared on ABC’s “This Week.”
The New Jersey governor also showcased his fiscal record, including vetoing more tax hikes than any other governor in American history.
Paul started off in the top tier but his numbers have been slipping in recent months. The last debate started with Trump mocking Paul, insisting the senator from Kentucky belonged with the lower tier candidates in the undercard debate. Looking to get in front of rumors that he could drop out of the race, Paul told Fox News this weekend that he was in for the long haul.
While the event doesn’t have the high-profile straw poll of past RPOF events, the stakes are high. Last month, the RPOF voted on a new rule ensuring GOP presidential hopefuls can appear on March's presidential primary ballot by appearing at the Sunshine Summit, paying a fee or filing a petition and gathering signatures to make the ballot.
The RPOF noted on Monday that more candidates will announce later this week that they will attend the event.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
