GOP insiders: Tom Lee, Rick Baker could perk up Senate race

Not satisfied with their current U.S. Senate primary candidates, some Republican insiders are seeking to recruit new ones, possibly including popular Tampa Bay area political figures Tom Lee and Rick Baker.

At the same time, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack of Fort Myers, who previously said he wouldn't enter the Senate primary, appeared to re-open the door in comments to the Tampa Tribune this week.

Four candidates currently lead in the primary – former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, former appointed U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, retired Army officer and Plant City tree farmer Mike McCalister, and retired restaurateur Craig Miller.

But none of those four has yet caught fire with voters.

Some say that's only because it's early in the race, and the Senate contest is being overshadowed by the presidential race.

Others say it's because of the candidates themselves, and question whether any of the four is the right challenger against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson.

"There are a lot of people who aren't thrilled with the current field," said local GOP consultant Mark Proctor. "The comment I'm hearing is 'there's no Marco Rubio in the group.'"

Lee, a former state Senate president from Brandon who ran unsuccessfully for chief financial officer in 2006, said he has been approached twice in the past week about entering the primary by individuals he would identify only as influential Republican activists or donors.

His response: "It's flattering, but it's getting a little late to start a campaign. Without a strong, consolidated push from party leaders, the train may have left the station."

Rumors about attempts to recruit Baker, a former St. Petersburg mayor who has previously said he didn't want to run, were rife last weekend at the state GOP's Presidency 5 convention.

Baker didn't return calls Monday or Tuesday for comment on those rumors, but at a Senate candidates' forum in Orlando during the convention, he said of the primary race, "The jury's still out. There are a lot of people still searching. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more candidates to come."

Mack said in the spring he wouldn't run for the office, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. He sounded a slightly different note, however, in an interview with the Tribune editorial board Monday.

"I don't have any intention to run for the Senate," he said, but added, "I'm looking at all the candidates just like everyone else and looking for one to distinguish himself … to stand out. I would have thought by now that one would."

Asked whether he'd reconsider if that doesn't change, he responded, "My intentions right now are to remain where I am." But when a questioner suggested he wasn't ruling out the idea, he responded, "I'll leave that up to your interpretation."

Another potential new candidate ruled it out Wednesday – U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan of Sarasota.

Buchanan said he has been asked to run, but can have more impact as Florida's only member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee.

Polls and other indicators in the race show mainly indecision.

In a straw vote by a conservative political group during the Presidency 5 convention, Hasner won with 34 percent, followed by McCalister, 30 percent; LeMieux, 24 percent; Miller, 11 percent and "other," 1 percent.

But published polls immediately beforehand had shown LeMieux leading, but with only 17 percent and more than half the voters undecided.

The conflicting results suggest no candidate is catching voters' imagination, said Tampa-based GOP consultant Chris Ingram.

"The field continues to scream for someone else to get in to inspire Republican voters," he said. "There's not a wow factor with any one of them.

"My guess is if any one of these four wins the nomination, we'll be calling Bill Nelson senator for another six years."

But state GOP party Vice Chairman Blaise Ingoglia said the problem isn't with the current field of candidates.

"I think what's happening is there's so much attention being paid to the presidential race there's not enough light being shed on the Senate race," he said. "It's just a matter of time" until a consensus choice emerges.

Tampa Republican media consultant Adam Goodman said the party wants a strong nominee because the decline in President Barack Obama's job approval ratings could make Nelson more vulnerable to a strong challenger.

Party insiders "really believe this is a seat we can win, and they want to put their best foot forward," he said.

Pam Bondi's 2010 win for attorney general, he said, convinced many Republicans that a political base in the Tampa Bay area, the state's biggest media market, is an advantage.

"The biggest reason for talk about those two" – Lee and Baker -- "is a Tampa Bay area base," he said.