Two Republican congressmen -- Ron DeSantis of Florida and Trey Gowdy of South Carolina -- were on center stage Sunday night as the Volusia County GOP held its Lincoln Day Dinner.
Now running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, DeSantis was recognized by the American Conservative Union (ACU) for earning a 100 percent rating from that group.
DeSantis is no stranger to the ACU. Last year, the organization awarded DeSantis the Defender of Liberty Award for his 100 percent score.
Matt Schlapp, chairman of the ACU, told Sunshine State News, “Not many congressmen can take credit for obtaining a 100 percent conservative rating like DeSantis.”
Sunshine State News asked Schlapp how other Republicans did in the ACU ratings. “Several congressmen are a little wobbly on the issues, unlike Congressman DeSantis,” Schlapp said.
After DeSantis accepted the award, he talked about media reports focused on presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson. In recent weeks, DeSantis floated Carson’s name as a possibility to be speaker of the House when Republicans scrambled to find a replacement for then U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
DeSantis noted the media take shots at Republicans but let Democrats like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton get a free ride -- even after she lied about being under sniper fire in Bosnia.
Later that evening, DeSantis introduced Gowdy, the featured speaker of the night. Gowdy has been in the national spotlight in recent weeks leading the select committee investigating Clinton’s handling of the fatal attacks on State Department personnel in Benghazi.
Gowdy praised DeSantis before taking aim at U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Noting Reid said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio should resign after missing votes in the Senate, Gowdy turned his fire on the Nevada Democrat.
“I’d rather have 50 percent of Marco Rubio than 100 percent of Harry Reid,” Gowdy told the cheering crowd.
Sunshine State News caught up with Gowdy backstage and the South Carolina Republican turned his focus toward the presidential election.
“The message will win, communicated in the right way,” Gowdy said, insisting the GOP needs to makes a case “why conservatives can do a better job.”
Gowdy also told Sunshine State News the main reason he came down to speak at the event was because his good friend, former Florida Congresswoman Sandy Adams, invited him.
“I was glad to come down because I think the world of Sandy, said Gowdy.
Adams is running for the congressional seat DeSantis currently holds, even as the state judiciary continues to handle redistricting.
Ed Dean is a senior editor with Sunshine State News whose talk show can be heard on radio stations in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Daytona Beach, Orlando, the Space Coast, the Treasure Coast and South Florida from West Palm Beach to Miami. It can also be heard in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. You can reach him at ed@sunshinestatenews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @eddeanradio.
