Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., has expressed some interest in challenging Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., for his spot in the U.S. Senate.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, West has opened the door to jumping into a weak Republican primary:
Given the nature of his congressional district West might, paradoxically have an easier time winning a statewide race than getting reelected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The 22nd district has gone marginally for the Democratic presidential nominee in the last three presidential elections. With Barack Obama driving turnout in 2008, West lost to the Democrat incumbent by eight points. During the 2010 Republican wave election, with much lower turnout, West won by eight points after positioning himself as a Tea Party national icon.
Redistricting this year will probably hurt West. Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman calls West one of the “top ten Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting” weakening their reelection chances. Even if Republicans pull a rabbit out of a hat for him, West’s best-case scenario would still leave him in a toss-up district.
Of course, West has to decide if he wants to challenge an incumbent Democratic senator. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows Nelson leading a generic Republican 46-35 with a 42-35 approval/disapproval rating. Nelson’s vulnerable, but still a tough out for Republcans, especially given that the unpopular Gov. Rick Scott, R-Fla., could damage the GOP ticket this year.
That said, West has demonstrated excellent fundraising skills and the ability to appeal to a national audience. He has already raised, for his congressional bid, more money than the GOP Senate candidates. As the favorite in the primary, West could run as a convincing Tea Party candidate eager to reinforce Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and thus appeal to a statewide electorate that leans Republican and might be more likely than the people of his congressional district to keep him in public office.
