Mike LaRosa passes up run for Congress in 2016

mike-larosa-new

St. Cloud Republican state Rep. Mike LaRosa said Tuesday morning he won’t be running for Florida’s 9th Congressional District next year, saying:

“Looking ahead to 2016, I’ve received overwhelming encouragement from my family, community and colleagues, and although I’m totally fed up with politicians in Washington D.C. and believe that Washington and Congress need a complete and total overhaul, I’ve decided not to run for the U.S. House next year.

“For now, I will continue to serve the people of Central Florida as their State Representative.

“There is still much work to be done in the Florida legislature, including funding our educational institutions and cutting taxes for Florida families.”

LaRosa would have added even more star power to an already stacked race to replace incumbent Alan Grayson, which features the incumbent’s former Congressional Director Susannah Randolph, biochemist Dena Minning, former state Rep. Ricardo Rangel, and businesswoman Valleri Crabtree.

Businessman Wayne Liebnitzsky is the only Republican filed to run. LaRosa would have been favored in that matchup had he run.

The 9th District leans left, but under newly drawn district lines would be a little more hospitable to a known Republican. There has been speculation that U.S. Rep.  Daniel Webster, who is running for Speaker of U.S. House and faces a tough challenge in the newly drawn 10th District, could make the jump.

Frank Torres

Frank Torres is the Orlando-area writer for Florida Politics. He is a U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Central Florida and has covered politics in the region since 2009. Torres serves as a regular contributor to several news and radio organizations in the area and features original photography from many of the events he covers.



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories