Political organizations and potential rivals reacted to U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., entering the U.S. Senate race on Wednesday. DeSantis launched his bid on Wednesday morning, becoming the first major Republican candidate to officially get in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is running for the Republican presidential nomination.
U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., is considering running for the Senate. While he had kind words for DeSantis on Wednesday, Jolly kept the door open to running for the Senate himself, promising a decision in the coming months and saying the Republican Senate primary will be very competitive next year.
"I congratulate Ron on his decision to enter what will be a very competitive primary election to serve our great state of Florida in the Senate, Jolly said on Wednesday. I remain focused on the job I love in the House and intend to make a decision regarding the Senate in the coming months."
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, is also keeping the door open to running for the Senate. Miller was in Palm Beach on Wednesday and labeled himself a consistent conservative while noting DeSantis was a friend, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Over on the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., who launched a Senate bid in March, weighed in on the new candidate as well.
"Floridians want fresh, new leadership in the U.S. Senate, Murphy said on Wednesday. I am running to end the gridlock in Congress, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and empower the middle class to succeed. I look forward to sharing my vision with Floridians across the state over the course of this campaign."
Murphys team was much more aggressive in going after DeSantis with Josh Wolf from the Democrats campaign sending out an email against their new extreme Republican opponent: GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis is the poster child for Washington's dysfunction, Wolf wrote. He's embraced a radical tea party agenda that has ties to the Koch Brothers dark money group Americans for Prosperity. Hes anti-choice, opposes same-sex marriage, and voted no on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. Florida deserves better from its next U.S. senator.
The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) also looked to paint DeSantis as a tea party extremist with spokesman Justin Barasky going on the attack. The DSCC endorsed Murphy earlier in the week even as U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., continues to weigh entering the race.
After six different Republicans passed on Floridas Senate race, Washington Republicans now have to decide if they will embrace tea party extremist Congressman DeSantis who is wildly out of step with mainstream Floridians, Barasky insisted. Congressman DeSantis supported the government shutdown, voted for plans that would dismantle Social Security and Medicare, and refused to support the Violence Against Women Act. While Republicans struggle in this open-seat contest, Democrats have a strong candidate in Patrick Murphy who is running a great campaign and will continue fighting for Florida families in the Senate.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant labeled DeSantis as the poster-boy for Washingtons partisan extremism and dysfunction and called him out of touch with mainstream Florida values.
The Florida Democrats played up that theme in a new website, insisting DeSantis was far more in line with the tea party than with average Floridians.
National conservative groups quickly lined up behind DeSantis. The Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) endorsed DeSantis on Wednesday morning after the Florida congressman jumped in the race.
"We're proud to support Congressman Ron DeSantis for the Senate in Florida, said former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the president of the SCF. He's a strong conservative, he has grassroots support, and he can win. If he is elected, he will stand up to the big spenders in both parties and fight to repeal Obamacare, balance the budget, and defend the Constitution. We hope conservatives in Florida and across the country will quickly unite behind DeSantis because we believe he gives us the best chance in this race to elect a principled leader who will fight for our values. We will immediately begin raising money for the DeSantis campaign and plan to do everything we can to help him get his conservative message out and win this important race."
SCF is not the only conservative group behind DeSantis. Saint PetersBlog reported earlier on Wednesday that FreedomWorks had also lined up behind DeSantis.
Conservative Review also offered the conservative case for DeSantis on Wednesday, noting his support for Israel and opposition to President Barack Obamas executive order on illegal immigration.
Not only does DeSantis serve as a vote for conservative principles, but he serves as a voice for them as well, noted Daniel Horowitz from Conservative Review. DeSantis has earned the trust and respect of the conservative grassroots due to his strong record as a fiscal, social, and national defense conservative. He is electable, energetic, and articulate. Not only has DeSantis been a reliable voice on the critical issues of our time, such as immigration, Obamacare, and crony capitalism, but his strong government reform agenda would also have a strong appeal in a general election as well."
DeSantis is the first major Republican candidate to enter the contest. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, state CFO Jeff Atwater, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., and former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford have all closed the door on running for the Senate. Other possible Republican candidates who could run include former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Fla., Jolly, Miller, U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and former Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
