January 14th, 2011 – Florida State Senate President Mike Haridopolos officially announced his intent to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL. Haridopolos announced that he has filed the necessary paperwork with the FEC to move forward with a campaign to win the U.S. Senate seat. The decision apparently comes after a conversation with former FL Govenor Jeb Bush, confirming that Bush had no intention of running for the office.
Sen. Haridopolos has already demonstrated a commitment to transparency in government service, both through the Transparency Initiative he led, and through his headline-making action of removing the doors from his Senate office.
Haridopolos will face off against several others vying for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Bill Nelson. Other candidates and potential candidates include former Sen. George LeMieux, Col. Mike McCalister, Rep. Dan Webster, Rep. Connie Mack IV and a host of others. Former Senate Candidate Nick Loeb may be a potential ”citizen” candidate using the groundswell against “professional politicians” demonstrated in the last election. It has also been widely speculated that State House Majority Leader Adam Hasner will also put his hat in the ring.
The road to the 2012 Senate election promises to be long, and this first step taken by Sen. Haridopolos could potentially force the hand of other Republican hopefuls. Florida will be on watch as the race to the Senate seat progresses.
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