President Donald Trump wants Mike Haridopolos back in Congress.
In a social media post Saturday, he called the former Florida Senate President an “America First Patriot who is doing a fantastic job representing Florida’s 8th Congressional District.”
Haridopolos is actively campaigning for another term. Per Federal Elections Commission records, he had roughly $675,000 on hand as of the end of September.
To put that in perspective, the next-highest fundraiser in the race is Democrat Paul Dellinger, who has just more than $2,000 on hand.
Haridopolos won more than 62% of the vote in November over Democrat Sandy Kennedy.
He also fared well in a Republican Primary, taking 72% of the vote over two Republican opponents. But those opponents had initially filed to challenge longtime U.S. Rep. Bill Posey. The timing of Haridopolos’ candidacy and Posey’s retirement announcement, which officially dropped after the deadline to enter the race, kept most established contenders out of the contest.
Haridopolos has quickly established himself as a voice on the hill on financial issues and matters related to the space industry. He was named in January as Chair of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. He also filed the Greenlighting Growth Act in his first term, legislation that streamlines disclosure rules for startups.
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A.G. Gancarski and Jacob Ogles contributed reporting.
