Florida Senate hopeful exits race amid Rubio re-election buzz

Florida Rep. David Jolly announced Friday his intention to exit the Republican Senate primary race amid speculation that Sen. Marco Rubio will seek re-election for his seat.

“The reconsideration by Marco Rubio obvsiously does play a factor in our decision,” Jolly told the Washington Examiner, noting he had been “doing well” in the GOP primary before the incumbent senator expressed an interest in remaining in the Senate.

Due to redistricting, Jolly’s congressional district now favors Democrats. Former Gov. Charlie Crist has announced a bid for the House seat.

“As a Republican, I have a significant uphill battle, but one that I believe we will ultimately win in November,” Jolly said. “This is now one of the, probably, most challenging districts in the country for an incumbent Republican.”

Jolly said Friday he would seek re-election to his House seat rather than compete for the Republican nomination for Senate. Rep. Ron DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera were also vying for the seat left vacant by Rubio when he launched his unsuccessful presidential bid.

Lopez-Cantera, a personal friend of Rubio’s, has said he will exit the race if Rubio decides to campaign for his seat.

Rubio told reporters this week he is considering whether to run for re-election in the wake of the terror attack in Orlando Sunday that claimed 49 lives.

Jolly expressed support for Rubio’s likely Senate bid, calling him the “star of the party.”

But the Florida congressman noted he would not support Donald Trump in his quest to win the key battleground state.

“I haven’t endorsed Donald Trump, so I don’t intend to have to defend Donald Trump,” Jolly said.

“I don’t worry about the top of the ticket because I haven’t embraced the top of the ticket,” he added. “I have no plans [to] at this point.”

Other vulnerable down-ballot Republicans, such as Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk and Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, have thus far withheld or walked back their support of Trump in light of his controversial comments.

Previously, Jolly had told the Examiner he planned to vote for the Republican nominee.

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