On Tuesday, a day after U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced he would run for president in 2016, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis said he is thinking about replacing him in the U.S. Senate.
Rubio launched his presidential bid on Monday and has repeatedly said he will not run for a second term in the Senate if he entered the presidential race. Two state Cabinet officials -- Attorney General Pam Bondi and CFO Jeff Atwater -- have also closed the door to running for the Senate in 2016.
On Tuesday, DeSantis praised Rubio as an inspiration to entering politics.
"Marco Rubio has done a great job in the U.S. Senate, DeSantis said on Tuesday. His 2010 campaign inspired me to consider running for office, and I have no doubt that he will make a compelling candidate on the national stage. As it became clear that Sen. Rubio was likely to run for president, I received encouragement to consider running for the Senate. Casey and I will use the next several weeks to discuss the race with our friends and supporters and will make a decision in short order.
Only 36, DeSantis was first elected to Congress in 2012 after studying at Yale and Harvard Law and serving in the Navy JAG Corps. Before winning a seat in Congress, DeSantis wrote Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama pushing back at President Barack Obamas Dreams from My Father memoir. One of the founders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, DeSantis chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee and is the vice chairman of the House Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee.
DeSantis sounded a conservative note on Tuesday as he explores entering the Senate race.
"The country is suffering from stagnation at home and indignities abroad, DeSantis said. We need a new generation of leaders who will promote policies that will foster economic growth and alleviate the middle class squeeze, defend America's national security against those who threaten our people, reform the culture of Washington, D.C., and reassert the constitutional principles that make our country unique. Whatever shape my future service takes, I look forward to doing my part to help get our country back on track."
DeSantis is not the only member of the Florida congressional delegation thinking about moving to the Senate. U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., launched a Senate bid last month while U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., has left the door open to challenging him in the Democratic primary. With Atwater closing the door to a Senate bid this weekend, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., is looking at entering the Senate race while U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Fla., are also possible candidates. So are former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
