Adam Hasner has some serious thinking to do in the days to come as another congressional bid could be on his horizon.
Hasner moved up the ranks in the Florida House, becoming GOP majority leader before being term-limited in 2010. After leaving Tallahassee, Hasner turned his attention to Washington, running for the Republican nomination to challenge Bill Nelson in the U.S. Senate race.
Hasner made some inroads with conservative activists but, after redistricting, turned his attention to an open congressional seat. Democrat Lois Frankel beat Hasner by 9 percent in November.
But Hasner doesnt appear to be done. Theres speculation that he will run for Congress again in 2014, this time against Democrat freshman Patrick Murphy. Hasner has remained active inMurphys district, which is slightly north of where Hasner ran last time. It includes all of St. Lucie County and Martin County and a part of Palm Beach County.
During his time in Tallahassee, Hasner represented part of Palm Beach and Broward counties. Frankel represents the same counties in Congress but there are major political differences between her district and the one Murphy represents. Unlike Frankels district, which leans Democratic, Republicans have a slight advantage over the Democrats in terms of registration in Murphys district.
Hasner has been making the rounds at local GOP events, though a crowd of Republican candidates -- including Ellen Andel, Carl Domino and Alan Schlesinger -- has already lined up to run against Murphy. Other Republicans, including Gayle Harrell, could still enter the race.
Still, if he enters, Hasner has a chance. Republican leaders appreciate his battle against Frankel in a tough district and he has been a proven fundraiser. Hasner is certainly a conservative on fiscal and social issues. Like Allen West, whom Murphy defeated in 2012, Hasner has been a staunch supporter of the War on Terror and has offered numerous warnings about radical Islam.
But Hasner is a much smoother politician than West is. While West often shot himself in the foot with his style and comments, Hasner can often take the same issues but present them less antagonistically.
While he has been a force in Florida politics for more than 10 years, Hasner is only 43. He has the opportunity to bounce back from losing to Frankel last year and, if he enters the contest, Hasner will rank as one of the leading candidates in the Republican field. Despite his loss further south, Hasner would have a chance against Murphy if he gets the nomination.
The question is whether Hasner enters the race. As the 2014 elections begin, there are several interesting political story lines across the state including whether Hasner wants to take another stab at running for Congress.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
