Freshman Rep. Tom Rooney (R) will face a challenge from St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Craft (D) in next year’s election. This is Craft’s second time entering the race. Yesterday he posted and then deleted an announcement on his county commissioner reelection website. This is his statement today:
“I’m running for Congress because we need a Representative who has shared the struggles of hardworking Floridians and can relate to the people of this district,” Craft said in the release.
“If we are going to find solutions to our communities’ greatest problems, then we need an independent voice in Congress who won’t hesitate to question his party’s leadership and work with both Republicans and Democrats to get the job done.”
The NRCC quickly attacked Craft’s poor record in his current job.
The National Republican Campaign Committee jumped on the premature announcement Wednesday, and blamed Craft for the county’s fast-growing unemployment rate.