So far the Republican primary to decide who gets to take on incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012 has been a big, wet, cold heap of "ain't nobody care." Neither George LeMieux nor Adam Hasner have caught on with GOP voters, and pretty much every poll has shown that most are undecided. Well, Rep. Connie Mack IV, the son of former Senator Connie Mack III, is said to be entering the race.
"He's getting in the race," adviser David James wrote in an unexpected e-mail to the media last night. "Making calls, assembling a team. He will have more to say in an announcement in weeks to come."
Mack, a four-term Congressman from Southwest Florida, has long been talked about as a possible Senate candidate. He declined to run in 2010, though, and had announced he'd do the same this election. Apparently LeMieux and Hasner's failings have changed his mind.
Mack always does decently well in early primary polling, but many suspect that's because he shares a name with his well known father. Daddy Mack held this same senate seat for two terms before retiring in 2001. Great Granddaddy Mack is the legendary baseball manager and team owner.
One major concern for a Mack campaign, however, is proving that he actually spends much time in Florida. Mack is married to California Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (yes, Sonny Bono's widow), and the couple live with their family in Virginia. Such concerns caused the Naples Daily News to endorse his Democratic opponent in 2008.
While Mack may add a jolt to a boring race, previous polling indicates he may not fair much better than LeMieux or Hasner against Nelson. A PPP poll from March showed that at the time he was trailing Nelson 47-34, only slightly better than the rest of the GOP pack.
In any event, we think we've already found the perfect theme song for his campaign:
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