With website, social media, all signs point to Richard Corcoran running for governor

Richard Corcoran is questioning the issue of prayer before school sporting events.

House Speaker Richard Corcoran may not be saying whether he is running for Florida governor.

But with some high-profile personnel, a new website and more assertive online presence — as the old Magic 8-Ball says — all signs point to yes.

While the Land O’Lakes Republican is reluctant to telegraph political intentions, holding back from undue publicity, some things suggest a candidacy is on the horizon.

One hint came this week with the debut of RichardCorcoran.com, a well-produced website supporting Watchdog PAC, the vehicle for promoting conservative reform that may (or may not) become the foundation for a governor’s race.

Designed by Washington D.C.-based Go Big Media, the award-winning digital marketing firm, RichardCorcoran.com checks all the boxes for a political candidate: an “extensive, first-person bio,” and several “issue pages” highlighting Corcoran’s conservative benchmarks — immigration, taxes, spending, education, and government accountability.

Another clue is a renewed social media effort, including a revamped Facebook page with campaign-style videos and images, which quickly doubled its followers over the past month.

In addition to the website and online efforts, Corcoran also brought on a winning team of former Donald Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio and Jamestown Associates to handle media. In 2016, Jamestown was the primary media firm producing TV spots for Trump.

And the biggest sign is the hire of Taylor Budowich, Watchdog’s newly appointed communication head.

As executive director and national spokesperson for Tea Party Express, Budowich led the nation’s largest Tea Party PAC and was the driving force behind the Tea Party’s State of the Union responses for 2012-16 — presented by notable conservatives like Rand Paul and Mike Lee, as well as former Florida Congressman Curt Clawson.

Corcoran may be coy about the Governor’s Mansion — waiting until after the 2018 Legislative Session to reveal his plans — but by laying the groundwork with a serious campaign team and robust online visibility, it is hard to imagine anything but.