Florida GOP Rising Star Haridopolos Soars

Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who raised $2.6 million last quarter, is a rising star in the Republican Party and currently heads the pack of hopefuls who look to challenge incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, according to a report by therisingrepublican.com.

In an recent interview with Newsmax, Mike outlined what separates him from Senator Nelson.

“It’s pretty clear — our philosophy. He talks like a conservative. He looks like a conservative. He dresses like a conservative. But he votes like a liberal. Let me give you five examples. He voted for Obamacare, stimulus, cap-and-trade or cap-and-tax, and card check. And he gets an F from the NRA.

"Those five votes clearly delineate the two of us. He’s a person who believes in more government, more taxes. My track record is one of a consistent conservative, pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax. And most importantly I know how to balance budgets.”

Haridopolos served as the Majority Whip in the Senate from 2006 to 2008. In January 2011, Mike announced his intention to enter the 2012 U.S. Senate race in Florida. He is the well-known advocate of the “Smart Cap” revenue amendment, which prevents state spending from rising beyond the previous year’s revenue level by more than the annual rate of inflation and population growth.