Joining three other Florida congressmen in seeking to move to the U.S. Senate, Pinellas County Republican David Jolly said Monday he will run in 2016 for the seat being vacated by presidential candidate Marco Rubio. Jolly says he’ll make a formal announcement Monday night at 7 at the Republican Club of Greater Largo, at Alfano’s Restaurant in Clearwater. After the announcement, Crist posted on Facebook and tweeted that he will run for Jolly’s seat if his St. Petersburg home is included in the district when the Legislature redraws it.
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“I have been blessed with the opportunity to represent the people of Pinellas County in the U.S. House, taking their voice to Washington, D.C., and delivering results for our neighbors and community”, said Jolly.
Democrats are also facing a contested primary for the seat between two House members, as liberal firebrand Rep. Alan Grayson announced this month that he would challenge Rep. Patrick Murphy for the party’s nomination, despite the fact that Murphy already has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
The race is expected to draw national attention because it gives Democrats a chance to pick up a seat in the Republican-controlled Senate. He won the race for Young’s seat as the Republican candidate in a 2014 special election against Democrat Alex Sink and Libertarian Lucas Overby. He faced no serious opposition in November and was re-elected. He was born in the district and is married.
Jolly went on to say he plans to run on a platform that will reject the politics of division and class warfare, reject the failed foreign policies that have projected only weakness and apology on the world stage, and embrace a new economy founded on the principle that individuals and families, not government bureaucrats, create success.
We will not tolerate failed foreign policies and wavering alliances that leave America vulnerable to a unsafe treaty with Iran, weakness before our enemies and a failed policy to combat ISIS, Jolly said.
Crist served as a Republican governor from 1997 to 2011.
In 2010, voters approved a constitutional amendment that requires districts to be compact and not drawn to favor incumbents or a political parties.
In its order July 9, the court told the Legislature to redraw eight Florida congressional districts, noting specifically that District 14 should not cross Tampa Bay as it does now.
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The Legislature still needs to meet in special session to redraw the districts, with the session scheduled to start August 10.
