Florida’s U.S. Senate Republican primary race to replace outgoing Senator Marco Rubio is heating up, as two of the candidates vying for the job squared off at the Republican this weekend’s Liberty Caucus candidate’s forum in Viera, Florida.
Former U.S. Army Green Beret and CIA officer, Todd Wilcox, and current Naval Reserved officer and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R), were the only two senatorial candidate who attended the eventHomebuilder Carlos Beruff could not attend because of a prior family engagement. Rep. David Jolly (R) also had a preplanned event that he had to attend, and Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera was at a conference in Israel.
Rep. Bill Posey (R) got the forum started with opening address to the crowd of 300, after club president Bob White outlined how all of the forum housekeeping details.
Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
Lopez-Cantera sent a pre-taped video message he sent from Israel outlining his campaign platform.
Wilcox and DeSantis agreed on just about every issue, as they both sounded as conservative-minded as the other when espousing where they stood on the issues.
Wilcox kept driving home that he was the outsider, non-elected official and non-career politician in the race, which rallied the crowd in his favor when they voted in a post forum straw poll.Wilcox won the poll, hands down.
Wilcox took shots at everyone in the race by referring to them as career politicians, but might have forgotten that just 4 years ago, Ron DeSantis began his congressional career running as an outsider, just like Wilcox is doing now.
DeSantis stayed on message and made the case as to why he is considered by many conservatives as the one who would be able to fill Rubio’s shoes the best. Since being elected to the U.S. Congress, DeSantis has bucked establishment GOP leadership, and has been one of the most outspoken members against President Obama’s agenda.
DeSantis is a member of the House Freedom caucus, which is made up of conservatives that have held firm against House leadership.
Wilcox chiding the Freedom Caucus during the forum by calling them obstructionists in Congress.
More on this event here.