Mike Haridopolos has dropped out of the U.S. Senate race. In a statement he wrote:
"Today, I am announcing that I will no longer be a candidate for the United States Senate, nor will I seek any other office this year or next. Instead, I am re-dedicating myself to finishing the job you sent me to do here in Florida. This was a very difficult decision for me, and my family, but this is the right decision. To those who have supported me in my race for Senate, know that while I may be ending this campaign, I will not give up the fight."
Gov. Rick Scott, on vacation this week with wife Ann, called the decision "a sad day for our state" in a statement issued immediately after Haridopolos' announcement:
“I was surprised by Mike Haridopolos’ announcement today. Anytime a statewide race loses a principled conservative like Mike Haridopolos in a race of this importance, it is a sad day for our state. He was a great help to me during the legislative session as we put steps in place to turn Florida’s economy around and get Floridians back to work. I look forward to his continued leadership during the upcoming legislative session.”
But his dreamy hair stated that it's campaign lives on!
Posted by: themiddlepath | July 18, 2011 at 10:59 AM
Clean-cut, well-spoken and quite earnest. Glad he is keeping his non-progressive point of view and vision within the confines of Florida which needs to take care of its own house on so many levels. Our Nation's trajectory after the surplus of the Clinton year's has been a steep one of ever-increasing velocity. We need more time to undo all of its consequences without thinking we should hand back The Republic to the people who contributed the greatest harm, even accounting for blame sharing on the other side. The Elephant trampled the Donkey but has NOT made him expire.
Posted by: Kenn | July 18, 2011 at 11:14 AM
Though Mike's decision was a difficult one, he has again demonstrated his core values that are deeply rooted in what is best for his fellow Floridians; lower taxes, smaller government, and the empowerment of self-reliance. Mike is truly committed to improving life for all Floridians, no matter what their political persuasion. Let Freedom Ring...
Posted by: Thom Carter | July 18, 2011 at 11:15 AM
This is the guy who tried to make embryonic stem cell research a felony; imo he had no chance of winning
Posted by: GARY SUSSER | July 18, 2011 at 11:41 AM
The Senate race will now be a revisit of Crist (LaMieux) vs Rubio (Hasner).
Posted by: Harry | July 18, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Great, one less Republican is never a bad thing!
Let's cut out the sound bites and get down to business. . .the business of insuring the future generations of Florida through increased industry involvement and fairness with taxing laws. No more favors to big corporations and big business. The power to change the future is in their hands, not in the hands of the common worker, living paycheck to paycheck. Progress is productive, non-progress is counter productive. The future moves forward, not backward. Let's keep going forward.
Posted by: Stephanie | July 18, 2011 at 12:00 PM
As a Floridian I have mixed emotions...HAPPY he is NOT running for US Senate and SAD he is still the president of the Florida Senate. The right wing ultra conservative strangelhold on Florida by its thieving governor and Republican lapdogs WILL come to an end soon as most residents have come to realize that good government is about a lot more than conservative social engineering.
On another note, me thinks there is a backstory on this guy that is just waiting to "come out" of the closet.
Posted by: Mike in Miami | July 18, 2011 at 12:10 PM
Absolutely agree with you, Mike.
Posted by: Steph | July 18, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Reminds me of a "Kids in the Hall" comedy sketch.
Posted by: Steph | July 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Too many guys he fooled around with willing to come forward and testify.
Posted by: elaygee | July 18, 2011 at 03:12 PM
I have to admit that I stopped reading after this: "I was surprised by Mike Haridopolos’ announcement today. Anytime a statewide race loses a principled conserva..."
For all you on the left....the only people happier than progressives/Dems about this news are the real conservatives/Reps.... lol!
Posted by: Mike | July 18, 2011 at 03:22 PM
SAD DAY FOR FLORIDA, BUT NEXT US SENATOR WILL BE REPUBLICAN.
Sorry to see Mike drop out. I've visited with him up in Talahassee over the years and he's spoken several times at gatherings of the Republican Liberty Caucus (www.rlc.org) my GOP organization. He's a great guy, one of the most effective Senate leaders this state has ever had, and a truly thoughtful reasonable man. Once his senate leadership ends after next session, he'd be a great candidate for congress, a state cabinet post, or to succeed Marco Rubio in the Senate when he becomes president in 2020. Good possibility to carry on our great governor Scott's work as well.
Not to worry though, Bill "moderate in Florida, leftist in Washington" Nelson is headed for involuntary retirement. Our next US Senator will NOT be a left wing Obama clone. In next year's electoral landslide that will sweep in a conservative Republican president, filibuster proof GOP Senate majority, and overwhelming Republican house majority, Nelson will be flushed along with the other leftist flotsam.
THEN we'll take our country back for patriotic, free market, liberty loving Americans. While we're at it we'll have to pass several constitutional ammendments (like the Balanced Budget) that will make sure that nothing remotely resembling Obamaism may EVER take hold here. Americans are not made for socialist tyranny.
Posted by: Bryan K Donnelly | July 18, 2011 at 04:02 PM
Bryan,
I, and others on the left, are patriotic, libery-loving, and pro free market.
How does huge tax breaks for corporations and other concessions for big business equate to free market?
You can't fool all the people all the time-
Posted by: Mike | July 18, 2011 at 04:27 PM
One can NOT be a socialist (for that is what Obama and the left really ARE) and either be a good patriotic American OR favor the free market. Ths two are mutually contradictory. You may not know enough about economics,or the constitution to be aware of this.
By the way "tax breaks for cororations." e.i. letting them keep more of their OWN MONEY is a non-issue. There should be NO taxes on business at all, ever. Shocked? I'll shock you more. Businesses DON'T PAY TAXES. Yep, they only COLLECT 'EM FOR GOVERNMENT.
Taxes are a business expense like any other; payroll, materials,rent, services etc. Like all other expenses they are incorporated into the PRICE of the product or service and PASSED ON TO ALL CONSUMERS! Every time you buy, for example, a gallon of gasoline, you are paying MORE to government than to the company to start with via excise taxes, THEN you are paying the price of all taxes the firm pays. Politicians just LOVE business taxes because they are HIDDEN from the utlimate payers, consumers of every product and service in the world. It is so easy to tell the ignorant how you are squeezing "those rich corporations."
Want the recession over tomorrow, high employment, prosperity? ELIMIINATE ALL BUSINESS TAXES. Our economy will grow at 8-10%, create millions of new jobs, and collect MORE in taxes then they ever got from business.
Why won't Obama do this? He is a Marxist who hates free market capitalism and it would violate all his collectivist principles.
Posted by: Bryan K Donnelly | July 18, 2011 at 04:53 PM
Bryan-
Businesses make an income just as any other person or entity in the United States. It's the profit/income that is and should be fairly taxed. Your premise is as absurd as your rantings about Marxism.
Answer this: How do you propose to replace potential revenue from taxes on businesses? Tax workers more? Tyranny...not patriotic at all."Don't Tread On Me!"
Posted by: RFC | July 18, 2011 at 07:43 PM
RFC
It seems to escape you that businesses, no matter how hard they are hit with taxation, DO NOT actually PAY the taxes, the millions of consumers of their products-services DO. Were there no business taxes everything you buy would cost as much as 20% LESS. Where would the replacement taxes come from? Very simple, all other taxes would produce much higer revenues, MUCH higher as millions of workers in new jobs become tax PAYERS rather than tax EATERS. Are you aware that there is sometihing around 12 TRILLION dollars in overseas profits from US based companies that STAYS abroad and is not invested here? Why? Because the USA stupidly is one of only two countries that tax profits earned abroad. Should the dollars be repatriated, they'd be CONFISCATED via double taxation; already paid abroad. Not only would those trillions be invested in the USA, we'd DRAIN capital from every other industrialized country stupid enough to tax business. Our prosperity would be increased at a rate never seen before.
Obama was asked by an economic literate reporter (itself a real anomoly) why, if LOWER taxes on "the rich" actually collected LESS revenue than at lower tax rates, he insisted on higher tax brackets for higher earners. Know what he said? He didn't really CARE about the actual REVENUE, he was interested in "fairness." He is a socialist and fool, but I repeat myself.
Posted by: Bryan K Donnelly | July 18, 2011 at 09:06 PM
Mother Earth called from her hospice bed in Florida and thanked the gentleman
Posted by: Donna Baker | July 20, 2011 at 12:34 PM
Great Post. Excellent advice. Love the blog.
Posted by: Diane Siriani | July 21, 2011 at 03:25 PM