Re-election Racket

It’s time for a 2012 election shout out for Florida’s two senators and local congressmen who are turning up the volume about re-election.

The reality is the discussions about 2012 started as far back as 2010. Whispers about Sen. Marco Rubio as GOP candidate for president began even before he was a senator.

So, allow me to continue the discussion.

It’s becoming painfully clear that Republican Rep. David Rivera (FL-25) is out. The freshman legislator is still being haunted by bad press about ethics charges and a 2010 lawsuit, since resolved, concerning pending foreclosure on a house he owned with his buddy—Sen. Marco Rubio.

Politico, the weekly political publication based in D.C., reported that the election for Rivera’s district is one of the most contentious House races of 2012. Rivera may not even make it out of the primary. Republicans are drawing up contingency plans in case he doesn’t survive, even through this year.

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson’s re-election is also far from a sure thing. According to a new Sachs/Mason-Dixon poll released in February, Nelson is “vulnerable to defeat in 2012.” In the hypothetical senatorial race measured by the poll, Nelson failed to gain 50 percent support against any potential Republican candidate such as former Florida Sen. George LeMieux and even former Florida state Rep. Adam Hasner. “This contest will be a national story,” says Ron Sachs, president and CEO of Ron Sachs Communications, who commissioned the poll. “If he ran and the election was held today, former Gov. Jeb Bush would beat Senator Nelson.”

Congressman Tom Rooney (FL-16) is also considering taking on Nelson, and is laying the groundwork to build constituent interest in his power base. In January Rooney was named to head up the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry. Rooney was also selected as Republican Deputy Whip in January, an important step to a leadership position in the House.