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Todd Wilcox has a Chance to Shine at the Sunshine Summit

October 19, 2015 - 7:00am
Todd Wilcox
Todd Wilcox

With 2016 around the corner, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will be hosting the Sunshine Summit in Orlando from Nov. 12-14 and the stakes will be high. The presidential hopefuls will take most of the spotlight but there’s another important race already taking shape as Rubio has said he will not run for a second Senate term. Florida Republicans Ron DeSantis, David Jolly, Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox are already off and running and they will be at the Sunshine Summit trying to win support for their Senate bids. 

Over the next few weeks, Sunshine State News will look at the presidential and Senate candidates who will be on stage at the Sunshine Summit and what is at stake as they take their messages to Republicans across Florida. Starting today, Sunshine State News will turn its attention to the Senate hopefuls. Sunshine State News will focus on the presidential candidates who will be at the Sunshine Summit starting on Monday, Oct. 26.

Todd Wilcox heads into the Sunshine Summit as one of the least known candidates looking to replace Marco Rubio but his message and background could connect with many Republican voters across Florida. 

Having never held office, Wilcox offers a bit of a contrast to the other Republicans in the race. This has often been an advantage in Republican primaries in recent years as the successes of Rick Scott, Pam Bondi, Curt Clawson, Ted Yoho and others have shown. 

An Army veteran who eventually joined the CIA and saw service around the globe, Wilcox has a compelling story. After his service, Wilcox went into the private sector, building a company that hires more than 600 people. Wilcox is getting better in telling voters about his experiences, including releasing a Web video last week in which he talked about rising up from poverty and how his experiences with one of his daughters, who was misdiagnosed with a serious medical condition, made him firmly pro-life. 

Wilcox has been stumping across Florida and he’s starting to work more of his story into his campaign. Despite never having sought or held elected office, Wilcox is sharp on policy, including international affairs and security issues. Wilcox has called for major changes in Washington, pushing for less executive power and not being afraid to call out the Republican leadership when needed. Conservatives, a major factor in the Republican primary, will find much to agree with as Wilcox makes his case that the federal government has grasped too much power, far beyond what the Founding Fathers wanted. 

Last week left little room to doubt that Wilcox is committed to the race. Wilcox announced his campaign brought in more than $258,400 and he loaned his campaign $500,000, a clear sign that he is in it to win it. With more than $683,500 on hand, Wilcox is keeping his powder dry in the early stages of the race. 

Wilcox is probably the least known of the Republican candidates though, admittedly, none of them are particularly established. That being the case, Wilcox has a big opportunity at the Sunshine Summit as he introduces himself to many Republicans for the first time. The GOP faithful have often shown an inclination to back candidates with private-sector credentials and no elected experience. For example, at the RPOF’s Presidency 5 straw poll back in 2011, Herman Cain pulled off the upset and beat Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. 

With no straw poll this time out, Wilcox doesn’t have the same opportunity to make a splash that Cain did but he can make a good first introduction to Republicans across Florida. While he and the other Senate hopefuls won’t garner the attention the presidential candidates will muster, Wilcox will have a chance to make some major political gains at the Sunshine Summit. 

 

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN

 

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