Trying to keep a seat at the political table, George LeMieux will be returning to a familiar issue next week: the federal budget.
During his brief time in the Senate, LeMieux made something of a national reputation for himself as a fiscal watchdog concerned with the deficit and the national debt. Hell return to that theme Monday when he takes part in a forum sponsored by the Concord Coalition and the Campaign to Fix the Debt at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa entitled Reducing the Deficit and Investing in the Future: Can We Do Both?
LeMieux is in one of the strangest positions of any Florida politician. Only 45, the former senator has held statewide office without actually winning it. Adding to the precariousness of where he stands on the political stage now, LeMieux rose to power in the wake of Charlie Crist, having served as his chief of staff and eventually being named by Crist to the Senate. After his former boss left the GOP, LeMieux tried to separate himself from Crist, backing Marco Rubio for the Senate in 2010 and being a loyal soldier for Rick Scott.
But this only helped LeMieux so much. Once he left the Senate, LeMieux made no secret of his ambition to return, getting in early to take on Bill Nelson in 2012. During the primary, LeMieux drew fire from the other Republican candidates for his ties to Crist. To his credit, LeMieux said many Florida Republicans were betrayed by Crist and showed no hesitation in returning his foes' fire. Though he bowed out early, LeMieux somewhat shaped the general election. By the fall, Nelson was following LeMieuxs playbook as he bombarded Republican opponent Connie Mack in a series of attacks.
Since getting out of the Senate race, LeMieux has tried to stay in the public eye. He made a bid to be president of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) that went nowhere. He also set up the Senator George LeMieux Center for Public Policy at Palm Beach Atlantic University and brought in a series of political speakers ranging from George Will to Will Weatherford.
LeMieux has ample reason to stay active. He clearly liked being in the Senate and the GOP leadership thought highly of him. If he wants to return to the Senate, he could have his chances in the coming years. Rubio has said he may not run for a second term if the Democrats keep control of the Senate in November or if he decides to run for president. Nelson will be 76 in 2018 and could opt out of running for a fourth term.
Tallahassee is full of rumors that the likes of Jeff Atwater, Adam Putnam and Will Weatherford want to run for governor in 2018 -- but the chatter is considerably more subdued when it comes to who could run for the Senate. Even if he remains largely unknown to most Florida voters, LeMieux could be able to channel some of his old Washington connections to fund a legitimate campaign, though other Florida Republicans will be seriously contemplating bids of their own.
One thing in LeMieuxs favor is his political killer instinct. LeMieux showed no hesitation in going on the attack against Mack in 2012 and proved he had a gift for it. Mack needed that kind of instinct badly against Nelson. Failing to muster it, Mack got run over by Nelson. In retrospect, while LeMieux would have been hard-pressed to beat Nelson in 2012, its tough imagining him running the kind of campaign Mack did.
If he plays his cards right, LeMieux could get another shot in the years to come. Nobody on the Republican side knows Crist as well as LeMieux does. Now that Crist is the Democrat running against Rick Scott, LeMieux would be wise to let the GOP know the best tactics to use against his old boss -- and collect some IOUs for his future ambitions.
Tallahassee-based political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
