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Rick Scott overcomes outsider status, wins Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa
Rick Scott’s victory over Bill McCollum in Tuesday’s Republican primary seemed to surprise many in the national media.
However, it could not have been much of a shock to Floridians who watched Scott emerge as a gubernatorial candidate and catch McCollum in the polls.
Scott won despite state Republican leaders pushing hard for McCollum. Henry Kelley, chairman of the Fort Walton Beach Tea Party, doesn’t think Scott will forget that snub as governor.
“I think it’s good for Florida,” he said of Scott or Democrat Alex Sink being elected governor in November.
“The Republicans have grown the size of government in Tallahassee,” Kelley said. “Rick Scott is clearly an outsider. I hope if he’s elected he will remain an outsider and bring fiscal responsibility to state government.”
Scott defeated McCollum in Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa counties.
State Rep. Matt Gaetz said he never rejected Scott’s candidacy as a Republican.
“I campaigned with Rick Scott. I found him to be an energetic guy with a great plan to create jobs,” he said.
Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said he and Scott spent time together when Scott campaigned in Northwest Florida. Gaetz said he looks forward to working to elect him governor.
“I think it’s time for the party to unify with a common purpose,” he said. “Our party is run by its members and they have spoken.”
Okaloosa County State Committeeman Steve Czonstka supported McCollum because he thought he was more familiar than Scott with the workings of the Republican Party.
But Czonstka said he was turned off by Scott’s and McCollum’s negative campaigns, and thought McCollum ran a terrible race.
Although he fears the kind of change President Barack Obama has brought — “You don’t know what it is and can’t do anything about it once you’ve got it” — he sees Scott’s candidacy as a much needed opportunity for change in the state Republican Party.
“The fact is, after the Charlie Crist thing and after the Jim Greer thing, the most important thing for Republicans is to unite and hold on to the state government, the executive and legislative branches,” he said. “We gotta do what we gotta do. It’s an opportunity for change we really need.”
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