Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday named former aide George LeMieux to fill the seat of outgoing GOP Sen. Mel Martinez who resigned without explanation.
LeMieux, a longtime Republican insider in the state, has served as chairman of the Broward County Republican Party, deputy state attorney general and campaign manager for Crist’s 2006 run for governor. He ran unsuccessfully for the state house in 1998.
The first choice was Rep. CW 'Bill' Young who declined the honor. Young is a congressman form the Tenth Congressional District of Florida in Pinellas County.
GOP state Rep. Jennifer Carroll, another contender for the vacant seat, told POLITICO that she found out LeMieux was the pick when Crist called her Friday morning to inform her.
Carroll said Crist made the pick because “he probably felt safe in knowing George, he’s been his chief of staff and confidant for years.”
Crist choice was not popular
Mac Stipanovich, a top Florida Republican lobbyist who supports Crist, was “surprised” by the governor’s choice of LeMieux.
“I’m dumbfounded. I’m never without something to say and I’m practically speechless,” Stipanovich said. “The governor certainly won't have anything to worry about in terms of the new senator doing anything contrary to his interests.” He said LeMieux is a peculiar choice when looking at the breadth of experience present on Crist's short list of possibilities.
Stipanovich said that LeMieux “never held public office. He’s never run a large business. He's not a war hero.”
Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen L. Thurman wasted little time in attacking the pick as an example of cronyism and accused Crist of playing “political games with the public’s trust.”
“In appointing LeMieux, someone who has made millions over the past several years selling access to Crist to the highest bidders among Tallahassee's special interests, Charlie Crist once again put his own political ambition above doing what is right for Florida,” Thurman said in a statement.
Thurman added, “Floridians are sick of the Republican culture of corruption and the Tallahassee back room dealings that clearly led Crist to pick LeMieux, whose only qualification is being Charlie Crist's crony.”
source: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26540.html
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