Former Republican Sen. George LeMieux of Florida announced today that he plans to run for Congress, taking aim at defeating the state’s incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.
Nelson is considered to be one of the most vulnerable senate members seeking re-election in 2012. The race to unseat him is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country next year as the GOP works to win control of the Senate, USA Today reported Tuesday.
"Bill Nelson, like most career politicians, is part of the problem,” LeMieux said. “Year in and year out, Bill Nelson has voted for bloated budgets, bigger bureaucracy, higher taxes, and has driven government into nearly every aspect of our lives."
LeMieux was an aide to former Gov. Charlie Crist when the governor appointed him to serve out the term of Republican Sen. Mel Martinez, who resigned. LeMieux served 16 months.
In his short time in Congress, LeMieux advocated reducing the nation's debt and pushed through the Senate an amendment to a sweeping financial reform to limit the reliance on major credit agencies such as Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's.
Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos also has declared his candidacy for the GOP nomination.
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