Musical chairs in CD 6 race: Fred Costello in, Adam Barringer out

The race to replace Ron DeSantis in Congressional District 6 had two exciting developments on Thursday. Fred Costello announced that he was in. And Adam Barringer? Out.

On Thursday afternoon, Barringer said he’s leaving the race and endorsed someone else, so a “carpetbagger” didn’t win the district.

Hint: It wasn’t Brandon Patty, criticized for living outside the district as soon as he jumped in.

“When I learned that Fred Costello and David Santiago were both going to join this race it became clear to me that a divided Volusia County could hand the election over to someone from out of the district. For the first time since 1992 Volusia/Flagler accounts for over 70 percent of the constituency of District Six. We need a united Volusia County in the Republican Primary to win the General Election and we cannot allow a ‘carpetbagger’ to come in and steal this election,” Barringer said in a prepared statement.

“Accordingly, I am announcing that I will no longer be a candidate for Congress and I am putting my full support behind a fellow business owner and former Ormond Beach Mayor, State Representative Dr. Fred Costello. Fred is the best conservative Republican Candidate from Volusia County to represent us in the U.S. House, certainly more conservative than me! I urge all of my supporters, donors, those who signed my petitions or endorsed my candidacy to join me in backing Fred Costello for Congressional District Six.”

Sandy Adams also left the race this week, and the field has now narrowed to Patty, Costello, Santiago, and G.G. Galloway.

Costello’s entry to the race hurts the faltering 2020 Speaker bid of Eric Eisnaugle. Costello was an Eisnaugle vote and now Eisnaugle now is even “deeper underwater,” as one source put it.