Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker hinted on Tuesday he may sit out the Florida Republican presidential primary because of the impending showdown between the two Floridian presidential contenders in the Sunshine State.
Speaking to conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, Walker said if he does jump in the 2016 race, “I don’t think there’s a state out there we wouldn’t play in.”
“Other than, maybe, Florida, where Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are … in some of the polls, essentially tied,” he said, naming the former governor and current senator who are headed down a collision course in their home state’s primary this cycle.
He said that Bush currently has the financial advantage in his home state, and Rubio would eat up a huge portion of the state’s donors as well, making it difficult for others to compete in the state’s expensive media market.
“Short of (Florida) … I think our message, common-sense conservative reform, could play just about anywhere out there,” Walker said, reaffirming his intention to compete in the Iowa caucuses.
Florida played a pivotal role in the 2012 GOP nominating contest, giving Mitt Romney a boost that solidified his frontrunner status in the nominating fight. The state’s 2016 primary is scheduled for much later, in mid-March, the earliest date allowed by the Republican National Committee for states to allocate its delegates on a winner-take-all basis.
Walker is on the schedule for Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s GOP cattle-call next week, but his comments hint he may not be making many side trips to the state in the future.