It probably came as a surprise to Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez Cantera when he heard CFO Jeff Atwater is once again thinking about running for Senate to replace Marco Rubio.
If Lopez-Cantera knew Atwater was running, he probably wouldn’t have announced.Florida CFO Jeff Atwater’s announcement that he may still run for the U.S. Senate in 2016, even after announcing that he wouldn’t, should come to no surprise to anyone, at least not to Javier Manjarres.
Earlier this year Atwater made the rounds in Washington, D.C., garnering support from the Republican group and supporters on Capitol Hill for his expected Senate campaign, and talking to Manjarres and others about his chances of winning.
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But instead of announcing he was running to replace outgoing Senator Marco Rubio, Atwater called it quits. Atwater never publicly stated why he was not running, but donors and supporters close to him have said that it was decision he made with the help of his family.
One donor told Manjarres that his wife was tired of him campaigning, and that Atwater was still considering the run.
According to Manjarres, Atwater told several donors in the Jacksonville area that he was still interested in running, but just needed to line up some things in the meantime.The latest Florida Chamber of Commerce poll on the Senate race has Atwater polling at 22 percent, while former state Attorney General Bill McCollum came in second with 9 percent, and the others GOP Senate candidates, including Rep. Ron DeSantis, were also only able to muster a single-digit percentage of the poll.
As you all remember, Atwater also announced that he was considering a run for the U.S. Senate in 2012. In an interview with the Shark Tank, Atwater expressed his interest, but then backed out after GOP establishment politicos close to then-Senate candidates Connie Mack and Mitt Romney, “suggested” that he not get into the race.
“It’s late. But I share the same deep-seated concern they hold. This is an extraordinary country. It’s an exceptional place on the planet and if we don’t turn it around soon, frankly it will be too late for another generation,” said Atwater. “I think I have a responsibility to sit back (and listen) to these people that I respect greatly and are serious-minded conservatives of this great state to take a hard look at it.”- CFO Jeff Atwater
Stay tuned.