Though the primary is more than a year away, the Republican contest to take on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012 shows signs of heating up. On Monday one candidate scored a major endorsement, another went on the attack.
Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, who is running in the Republican primary, unveiled the support of Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi.
"George is a solid conservative who served the people of Florida well in the U.S. Senate. I am happy to lend my support to his campaign, said Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), who some Republicans were hoping would enter the 2012 presidential race.
"I am honored to earn the support of a principled conservative like Haley Barbour, said LeMieux. When Governor Barbour was RNC chairman, he helped orchestrate the Republican Revolution in 1994 that built the type of conservative majorities we need to turn our country around. More importantly, from his leadership during Hurricane Katrina to his work passing key pro-life legislation, Governor Barbour is a case study in effective, conservative governance."
"Every day, Republican activists and donors are joining our campaign because they know that George LeMieux is the proven conservative who will retire Bill Nelson and end Harry Reid's reign as majority leader, insisted Brian Seitchik, LeMieuxs campaign manager.
LeMieux found himself under fire on Monday from one of his Republican rivals, former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner.
Hasner and his team took aim at LeMieux for backing the Task Force For Responsible Fiscal Action which, they argue, is much like the joint committee that was set up after the recent debt-ceiling deal to make recommendations on how to cut spending.
"The last thing we need in Washington is another commission or committee wasting taxpayers' time and money," said Hasner. "This 'supercommittee' is nothing more than a way for Democrats and Republicans to avoid tough votes, and punt responsibility for massive tax hikes or devastating cuts to our military. We don't need any more committees or politicians who will vote for them. What we need is limited government leaders who will vote for the common-sense solutions staring us in the face."
"Senator LeMieux's election-year reinvention as a conservative stands in contrast not just with the nearly two decades he spent as Charlie Crist's 'maestro,' but also with the 16 months he spent in Washington as a deal-cutting moderate," said Doug Mayer, a spokesman for Hasner. "Time and time again, Senator LeMieux's record shows he was willing to be a token Republican vote for the Democrats, and his vote to create a tax-raising task force proves it."
While there are some Republicans considering entering the race -- including U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, former state House Speaker Allan Bense and businessman Nick Loeb -- the list of potential candidates grew smaller over the weekend. While there had been some buzz that Chris Ruddy, the CEO of NewsMax, would enter the race, he said over the weekend that he had no intention of entering the primary. Other candidates in the race include retired Army officer and businessman Mike McCalister and former Ruth's Chris CEO Craig Miller.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.