George LeMieux – the former Florida Senator-turned 2012 Senatorial candidate – is touting his Washington experience as a reason for voters to send him back to the Senate.
“My experience of having fought these issues for 16 months in Washington…I think that sets me apart,” said LeMieux in a conference call Tuesday morning.
One of LeMieux’s opponents – Adam Hasner – has labeled himself the only true conservative in the 2012 Florida Republican primary. LeMieux pushed back on those claims saying “I think when voters have the chance to look at the record, not only am I the only guy with real experience in Washington, but I have the most conservative record of the three.”
“I want to go back to do the job,” he added. “I can be at the table on day one. No one else has that advantage.”
LeMieux was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez in 2009 by then-Governor Charlie Crist. He held the seat for 16 months before resigning. Now that he is officially running to be sent to Washington again (this time to take on current Sen. Bill Nelson), opponents are highlighting his close relationship with Crist – who left the Republican Party to run for Senate in 2010 as an Independent.
LeMieux’s strategy is particularly interesting considering recent polls show approval ratings of Congress are still at record lows. The latest Rasmussen poll, in fact, showed only a 9 percent approval rating. Moreover, most other candidates are running to fix what’s wrong in Washington. In other words, being an outsider is becoming more of an asset.
Hasner responded to LeMieux’s comment Tuesday by saying “I find that to be exactly the problem in Washington today – the belief that the people who are up there are the only ones who can solve these problems when in fact, they’re the ones who have created the problems we’re in.”
The other candidate in the race, Mike Haridopolos, is also a Washington outsider.