The final day of the annual Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference in Orlando, where Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senator Rick Scott, Reps. Matt Gaetz, Byron Donalds, Greg Steube, and Kat Cammack, all addressed the Conservative base of the Republican Party, Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini appears to have made the biggest news this weekend.
A rumor was floating around the conference that Rep. Sabatini, a Trump Republican, was going to run for the U.S. Congress in the 2022 election cycle.
The Floridian reached out to Sabatini to discuss the rumor we had heard from several attendees, but Sabatini was unavailable for any comment.
But on Sunday, just hours before President Donald Trump gave his highly-anticipated speech, The Floridian caught up to Sabatini at the Rosen Plaza hotel where the popular conservative had appeared on a panel with Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) about the threat of “Big Tech.”
AMERICA FIRST
Florida Second
Georgia Third@mtgreenee pic.twitter.com/zhO0LuDMXx— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) February 28, 2021
We asked Sabatini to confirm the rumor that he was considering a run for Congress in Central Florida, but Sabatini neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, only saying that he was interested in running for Congress.
Sabatini grinned and said “I have been giving it a lot of thought,” but would not elaborate any further.
With redistricting taking place later this year, and with Florida expected to gain two new congressional seats, the new congressional lines in the Orlando area could open up several opportunities for Sabatini.
Central Florida is expected to garner one of the two districts, so Sabatini could run in that newly-drawn seat, but he would then have to wait until the maps are finalized next year. Or, Sabatini could decide to run against a current member of Congress.
If he runs, will he challenge Reps. Stephanie Murphy, Darren Soto, or Val Demings? Or will Sabatini primary challenge Republican Reps. Daniel Webster and Scott Franklin?
