by: Kellie Meyer
Posted:
/ Updated:
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The results are in from Florida’s Tuesday night primary, and some of the winners weren’t the ones endorsed by Capitol Hill leadership.
“In the era of Donald Trump, it’s not always the establishment-backed candidates that win elections,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said Wednesday.
The Florida Republican broke away from his colleagues by supporting Scott Franklin in Florida’s 15th District over current GOP Congressman Ross Spano.
“I am not much for the rules of this town,” Gaetz added.
Gaetz also endorsed political newcomer Anna Paulina Luna in District 13, even though her opponent Amanda Makki had the support of House Leader Kevin McCarthy and was pro-Trump.
Franklin and Luna both won their primaries.
“The candidates I backed were more enthusiastically supportive about the president’s agenda and they were better messengers for the president,” Gaetz said.
The Congressman said he sees the enthusiasm for Trump lasting until election night. One political expert tells me it’s the campaign’s job to turn that energy into votes.
“Oh, 100% it’s a turnout game. I think the real story is going to be suburbs again,” Mary Anderson said Wednesday.
Anderson, a political science professor at the University of Tampa, said President Donald Trump did well with the suburban moms in 2016. But 2020, she added, “is a real question mark.”
Anderson said moms dealing with the coronavirus and its impact on their kids could vote for change in November.
“I think when you take into account health and education…I think that is going to be huge,” she said.
Both candidates will be focused on Florida before the election.
