The Florida primary is just a few days away and it is drawing attention beyond the Sunshine State. Here, for what it’s worth, is my look at things.
One of the races getting national attention is the US Senate race. William Escoffery III, William “Billy” Kogut, and Marco Rubio make up the Republican side of the ballot. Regular readers will know that I have been excited about Marco Rubio since May of 2009. That support has only gotten stronger as the campaign has played out.
In the beginning it was about Rubio versus Governor Charlie Crist for the Republican nomination. Once Marco Rubio gained enough attention, which he did by clearly expressing his conservative principles, Crist proclaimed himself a moderate, took a sharp left, and decided to run as an Independent. While that has cleared the way for Rubio in the primary, it has turned the election in to a three ring circus. The latest Rasmussen poll has Rubio out in front by five points — if Kendrick Meek is the Democratic candidate, but he trails Crist by one if Jeff Greene gets the primary win.
Here, in one minute, is the reason I am supporting Marco Rubio:
The other Florida race getting national attention is for Governor. On the Republican side Rick Scott and Bill McCollum are getting all the attention, while Mike McCalister is getting good reviews from conservatives and TEA Party groups, but little else. McCalister is just a blip in the polls and his fund raising is mere pennies on the dollar compared to either Scott or McCollum. It is unfortunate that his lack of money and recognition have created a very lackluster campaign. His About page on his website is nothing more than a pdf file of his CV. McCalister is arguably the most conservative candidate, but the shortcomings of his campaign make it tough to support him.
The choice, as I see it, is to support McCalister in the primary and then support the winning candidate in November, or to vote for one of the other candidates now to get the one I really want in the November race. It’s a dilemma. I know the arguments. If McCalister is the best candidate, and I don’t vote for him, how can I expect anyone else to do so? On the other hand, is it throwing my vote away on a candidate that has no chance of winning? And if I don’t vote for McCalister, who do I vote for? Ask me today and I would probably tell you I’m leaning towards Scott about 51-49. Tomorrow that could easily be reversed. The reason it’s so close in my mind is that I have equal parts support and doubt for each candidate. Convince me in the comments.
I live in Congressional district 12. The seat is currently held by Adam Putnam, but he is leaving the seat to run for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. John Lindsey Jr. and Dennis Ross are the Republican candidates, while Randy Wilkinson is the TEA Party candidate. In this race my support goes to Dennis Ross, at least through the primary.
That’s it for now. Share your thoughts in the comments.
