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FreedomWorks PAC out early to endorse Ron DeSantis for U.S. Senate

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FreedomWorks PAC today endorsed RepublicanĀ U.S. Rep.Ā Ron DeSantis (FL-06) in his run for U.S. Senate in Florida.

ā€œIā€™m proud that Congressman DeSantis is the first endorsement of the 2016 cycle by FreedomWorks PAC. Congressman DeSantis is a fiscal conservative leader who will bring much-needed leadership on important issues to the U.S. Senate,ā€ said FreedomWorks PAC chairman Adam Brandon in Ā a statement. ā€œCongressmanĀ DeSantis has been a leader on everything from reducing federal spending, trying to stop ObamaCare, and opposing Common Core. Iā€™m confident that our members will be very excited to help him win in November.ā€

The 36-year-old DeSantis’ entry into the race makes him the first major Republican Party member to announce for the Senate race. A resident of Ponte Vedra Beach, he represents Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which includes a part of Ā Jacksonville to the area south of Daytona Beach, including Flagler County, and most of Volusia. He serves on the House Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform committees.

HeĀ begins the campaign with more than $1 million that heā€™ll transfer from a House campaign account.

FreedomWorks PAC is the political action committee formed from FreedomWorks, a leading Tea Party-based group co-founded by formerĀ U.S. Rep.Ā Dick Armey and now led by Matt Tibbe.

In their release, they praise DeSantis as having proven himself to be a “courageous fiscal conservative and defender of freedom.”

“DeSantis has consistently shown the courage and commitment to stand up and vote against irresponsible debt limit increases and out-of-control budgets,” the group says inĀ its press release. TheĀ groupĀ also noted that he’s scored a FreedomWorks lifetimeĀ scoreĀ of 92 percent.

Marco Rubio currently occupies the Senate seat that DeSantis is now running for. He’s announced that he will not run for re-election next year as he concentrates on his presidential candidacy.

JupiterĀ U.S. Rep.Ā Patrick Murphy is the only major Democrat to announce his candidacy for the seat.

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Mitch Perry has been a reporter with Extensive Enterprises since November of 2014. Previously, he served as five years as the political editor of the alternative newsweekly Creative Loafing. He also was the assistant news director with WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa from 2000-2009, and currently hosts MidPoint, a weekly talk show, on WMNF on Thursday afternoons. He began his reporting career at KPFA radio in Berkeley. He's a San Francisco native who has now lived in Tampa for 15 years and can be reached at [email protected].

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