Two more Republican presidential hopefuls -- both of whom have ties to Florida -- will be coming to the Republican Party of Florida’s (RPOF) Sunshine Summit next month in Orlando.
The RPOF announced Thursday that businessman Donald Trump and former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., will be attending the event. Trump has several properties and residences in the Sunshine State; Huckabee moved to the Panhandle following his 2008 presidential campaign.
"I am excited to welcome Mr. Trump and Gov. Huckabee to the growing list of presidential candidates speaking at the Sunshine Summit in Orlando,” said state Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, chairman of the RPOF. “The road to the White House goes through Florida, and our grassroots leaders and volunteers are ready to hear the candidates share their vision for the future of our nation."
Trump leads the crowded Republican primary field in the national polls and in surveys of key states including Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida. Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucus in an upset in 2008, has been generally lagging in the polls but has been able to keep his numbers high enough to win a spot at the first two Republican presidential debates.
On Tuesday, the RPOF announced that former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will be attending the event. Graham and Jindal have been in the back of the pack in most polls and have taken part in the two undercard debates while Bush and Rubio have been in the debate with the top tier candidates.
While the event doesn’t have the high-profile straw poll of past RPOF presidency events, the stakes are high. Last week, 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.
In a memo sent to Sunshine State News on Thursday, the RPOF noted the event will show the “Florida GOP’s commitment to empower and fire up the grassroots in order to pave the road to the White House for the Republican nominee.”
Ingoglia noted the important role Florida plays in the presidential election as the largest swing state on the map.
“The road to the White House goes through Florida, and our state party is taking on the mission of strategically and tactically fighting for every vote across our state to ensure that we elect a Republican as the next president of the United States,” Ingoglia noted. “Winning Florida requires a lot of hard work and dedication to the task at hand. Turning our state red requires building a statewide operation with an aggressive grassroots army that will pave the way for the Republican nominee while simultaneously keeping Hillary Clinton and the Democrats accountable for their old, failed policies.
“We are reaching out to voters who may never have heard from us before,” Ingoglia added. “We are working with churches and faith leaders, local community leaders and organizations. Our grassroots teams are having one-on-one conversations about the future of our economy and discussing the concerns and ideas for the future of our country.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
