Mike Haridopolos’ first act in Congress will be supporting Mike Johnson for Speaker

Before U.S. Rep.-elect Mike Haridopolos begins his first term in Congress, he will cast a vote for House Speaker. The Indian Harbour Beach Republican tells Florida Politics he intends to support Speaker Mike Johnson remaining in power.

“He’s handled himself in very challenging times in a very graceful, thoughtful way,” Haridopolos said.

The support comes as some members of the GOP caucus question if the House needs new leadership. But Johnson has the support of President-elect Donald Trump, and Haridopolos said Johnson has earned the gavel.

“I think a lot of us really appreciate how accessible he has been, and he is an outstanding listener,” Haridopolos said. “I think he deserves a shot at having what I we all call the Republican trifecta, and maybe more than anyone else, he’s the one responsible, along with President Trump, for us having the majority.”

House Republicans suffered a net loss in seats, even as Trump won the presidency and Senate Republicans flipped the upper chamber. But Democrats had hoped to flip the House after a tumultuous Congress that saw Johnson ascend to Speaker after the historic ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Once the House names a new Speaker, Haridopolos and 62 other newly elected candidates will be sworn in as official U.S. Representatives. Haridopolos succeeds retiring U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, and will be the only freshman in Florida’s congressional delegation who takes office in Congress for the first time Friday.

The handing of the torch from Posey to Haridopolos was itself controversial. Haridopolos quietly filed to run in Florida’s 8th Congressional District hours before the deadline, with Posey announcing his retirement shortly afterward. The coordinated announcements — Posey endorsed Haridopolos — blindsided other potential contenders who may have run for an open seat.

Haridopolos, though, notes he faced opposition in both the Republican Primary and General Election, handily winning both. “The election results spoke for themselves,” Haridopolos said.

“We won our Primary by over 50 points. We won our General Election by well over 25. As you know, I ran a completely positive campaign, one that talked about ideas for the future. I think the No. 1 thing I can do moving forward is be an elected official who talks about what they’re going to do, and in two years, if people want to run, they’ll have every opportunity to do so, just like they had that opportunity to run this Spring. Had they really wanted to run for Congress, they could have challenged Congressman Posey.”

As for the issues on the horizon, Haridopolos wants Congress to tackle immigration, a top concern he heard from many voters in his district.

“The first and foremost policy directive, of course, is securing the border, and not just the Mexican border, but more lately it’s been the northern border,” Haridopolos said.

“These are both very porous borders. The current Administration has done a very poor job of protecting the American citizens, sadly allowing people to cut in line, so to speak, before people who want to come here the legal way. It’s tragic that you’re seeing even today that the Biden administration is trying to sell off pieces of the wall at bargain basement prices that have already been paid for by taxpayers.”

A Judge last week ordered President Joe Biden’s administration to cease selling material for a border wall following a lawsuit by Texas, as reported by Fox News.

Representing the Space Coast, Haridopolos also serves a district where the final frontier remains a local economic issue. The former Senate President said his work in the state helped ensure private spaceflight could thrive through periods when the federal government lessened publicly funded activity. In Congress, Haridopolos wants to see growth.

“We all would agree that the future of space flight is bright,” Haridopolos said.

“It is so exciting almost every day looking up into the sky and seeing these different rockets take off, allowing our technology to emerge, making sure we have the military satellites in place, etc. I think Elon Musk and SpaceX have done a remarkable job, and as you know, Blue Origin is planning their launch of their new rocket soon, Glenn. That’s going to be an exciting time for us as well. It’s a shame that the Artemis project is behind, but fortunately, people with foresight move forward.”

He expects investment as well in the Space Force, a military branch launched during Trump’s first term. In May, the Air Force announced Patrick Space Force Base will serve as the permanent headquarters for the U.S. Space Force Training and Readiness Command, or STARCOM. It’s critical, Haridopolos said, for the U.S. to maintain space dominance over China, but he also said Congress needs to allow technology like Musk’s Starlink to improve internet connectivity with space-based technologies.

Haridopolos has already been assigned to the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, and hopes to land a seat on the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. He also secured a spot on the Financial Services Committee, a rare feat for a freshman member.

Closer to the ground, Haridopolos plans to join the Congressional Estuary Caucus, a bipartisan group founded by Posey, so he can better fight for the Indian River Lagoon system.

The freshman enters Congress as Florida’s most junior member, something that should be remedied within months. But he will have a different level of influence than he enjoyed as Florida Senate President, or even just as one of 40 Florida Senators as opposed to 435 U.S. House members.

“It’s going to be an adjustment,” Haridopolos acknowledges, “but it’s one I’m very much willing to make. The best skill that I always had in the Senate was being a good listener and helping others find success, being a good team player.”

He said many voters he spoke to this year were frustrated by political infighting. With Republicans in full control of Washington, he sees a chance to advance an agenda.

“I want to be a person who moves the ball forward,” he said. “This place is about solutions. It’s not about being on TV or trying to score points on social media. I’m going to push my agenda that we’ve already discussed and push that hard. But I’ll also look for opportunities on issues like space to work with Democrats. There should be common ground.”