Much has been made about former Congressman Allen West’s recent statement that he would “consider” running for higher office, fueling the speculation that he would run for President.
West has been hinting a run for office for sometime now, but never directly addressing a presidential run head on.
While a run for the presidency is never out of the question for rising politicos like West, a move that is more practical for West would be a run for the U.S. Senate.
I brought up a possible West Senate run back in early 2011, and it made sense (still does) to many thinking that he should instead run for President.
Actually, West was pressed by some powerbrokers in Palm Beach County, Florida, to run for the Senate against Bill Nelson in 2012, but West declined.
But not West is said to be open to the idea of running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, or possibly in 2018.
Senator Marco Rubio has said that if he runs for President, he will not simultaneously run for the U.S. Senate. If Rubio receives the Republican nomination for President, the stage would be then set for West to jump into the 2016 Senate Race.
Another scenerio could be that Rubio receives the nomination, and resigns to focus on his presidential campaign, leaving Florida Governor Rick Scott to appoint an interim Senator, much like Charlie Crist did in 2009, when he appointed Senator George Lemieux after Senator Mel Martinez stepped down.
A third option for West is that he runs for the Senate in 2018, challenging aging Democrat Senator Bill Nelson, if he has not stepped down by then.
Florida has the largest amount of military veterans, a voting demographic West would surely embrace, and most likely win over.
Anyway you look at it, West would be considered a frontrunner in any Senate race, considering that he has huge national and statewide name recognition, and could raised tons of cash at the wink of an eye.
West’s fundraising prowess is unmistakable.
The Allen West nation needs to cool their jets about West running for higher office, for now.
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