Richard Corcoran, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, has been touting an announcement for some time, and many commentators believed that he would be throwing his hat into the Florida GOvernor's race to replace term-limited Governor Rick Scott.
Instead, several sources close to the speaker are reporting that he will not run for office and instead endorse Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in his current bid against Congressman Ron DeSantis, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Corcoran is set to join Commissioner Putnam for a press conference held at the Florida Association of Realtors at 9:30 am.
In response to news of the endorsement, Brad Herold, a DeSantis campaign advisor, commented that "Career politician Adam Putnam will now get the two-man race he’s been fearing for a year. A conservative Iraq veteran endorsed by Donald Trump versus a Never Trump career politician who supported amnesty for illegal aliens. I like our odds.“
Kevin Donohoe, a spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party, responded to the endorsement by detailing that "With the candidates now set, the Republican gubernatorial primary will be a brutal contest between the worst of Washington and the worst of Tallahassee. This is going to be one of the ugliest, hottest summers Florida Republicans have ever seen — and whoever emerges as the eventual nominee will be deeply damaged."
