The governor of Florida — the home state of Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush — is praising Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“I know Donald Trump personally, and while I currently have no plans to endorse a candidate before Florida’s March presidential primary, there is no doubt that Donald is a man who speaks and tweets his mind freely,” GOP Gov. Rick Scott wrote in an USA Today opinion piece.
“But, I don’t think his ability to give the most interesting interviews or speeches is the only thing that has him leading in the polls,” Scott added. “I think he is capturing the frustration of many Americans after seven years of President Obama’s very intentional government takeover of the American economy.”
Florida’s Republican primary is set for March 15. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Trump has a big lead, with 34 percent of the vote. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is in second with 17.3 percent of the vote.
Rubio, a Florida senator, is in third place with 16.7 percent and Bush, the former governor, is in fourth with 10.3 percent.
In addition to Rubio and Bush, a number of candidates have ties to Florida. Trump owns a resort in Palm Beach. Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee both own homes in the state.
“I continue to believe that our next president will be chosen because he or she has a believable plan for robust job creation in America,” Scott wrote. “Yes, foreign policy and defense will be front burner issues in this election, but let’s not forget that without a thriving economy, we will never be able to afford the kind of vigorous defenses that our country must have.”