Carlos Lopez-Cantera May Opt Out of Senate Race

The 2016 election cycle is not only one for the history books, but also should be showcased on Rippley’s Believe it or Not. The oddity of 2016 seems to have trickled down to the US Senate race in Florida.

With the June 24th filing deadline approaching candidates for US Senate are planning their escape routes in the event incumbent Senator Marco Rubio decides to run for reelection. Current Florida Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera announced today he was still in the race, but he would not file to run for US Senate if Rubio decides to run for reelection. At first blush, Lopez-Cantera’s comment seems innocuous, but this is not the first candidate to announce his potential to exit the Senate race stage left.

Earlier this month, rumors mounted Congressman David Jolly was having a change of heart due to increased local and national pressure. As both Lopez-Cantera and Jolly can attest the race for Rubio’s seat is crowded making it difficult to elevate name ID and raise money.

In a recent Mason-Dixon poll, Jolly and Lopez-Cantera trailed Florida businessman Carlo Beruff who barely polled at 15%. With poll numbers this abysmal it is no surprise two of the five Senate hopefuls are looking for the exit. With only days left for Rubio to file, Jolly and Lopez-Cantera search for answers to the question of should I stay or should I go.

For Jolly, he has the option to run in his redrawn district for reelection and square off against Charlie Crist in November. According to my magic 8ball, the outlook on Jolly winning Crist in a heavily Democrat district is not so good. Lopez-Cantera has the better end of the deal should he put his Senate dreams on hold; as he will finish out his term as Lieutenant Governor under Governor Rick Scott.

Either way you slice it, Rubio, much like Atwater in 2015, has frozen the Senate race with anticipation as everyone waits to see what he will do come June 24th. Let the countdown begin.