Florida State Rep. Jennifer Carroll is making the news today, as the conservative Republican was selected as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor (watch the announcement here):
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| Ms. Carroll, with Mr. Scott |
Republican nominee for governor Rick Scott has chosen a running mate. State Rep. Jennifer Carroll, the first black, female Republican elected to the Florida Legislature, said she will join Mr. Scott on the ticket as his choice for lieutenant governor. Analysts said the northern Florida legislator would help geographically balance out the ticket with Mr. Scott, who resides in southern Florida.
State Rep. Carroll states on her Facebook page: "I want to thank Rick Scott for the opportunity to join him in this race as his pick for Lt. Governor. Rick and I share core conservative principles like lower taxes, less regulation, and smaller government, and I believe Floridians are ready to elect a conservative outsider with private sector experience and a plan to create 700,000 jobs."
Why Did Rick Scott Pick Jennifer Carroll As His Running Mate?Michael C. Bender of the Palm Beach Post writes: "After winning the Republican nomination for governor, Rick Scott told confidantes that he wanted a female running mate with a strong law enforcement-type background. He found her in state Rep. Jennifer Carroll, a Jacksonville-area Republican who is the former secretary of the Florida Veteran Affairs Department. According to her Florida House bio, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1979 and served for 20 years. (Scott is also a Navy veteran — he served on active duty aboard the USS Glover as a radar man.) Carroll worked as a jet mechanic and retired as a Lieutenant Commander Aviation Maintenance Officer with the Meritorious Service Medal; two Navy Commendation Medals; two Navy Achievement Medals; National Defense Service Medal; Overseas Ribbon; two Coast Guard Special Operation Ribbons; and the Expert Pistol Medal."
More: "Carroll, the second African-American woman picked as a Republican lieutenant governor nominee, helps balance the ticket for Scott. Scott is running against Democrat Alex Sink, who is trying to be the state’s first female governor."
Steve Bousquet of the Miami Herald writes: "In choosing Carroll, Scott, himself a Navy veteran, would get a woman with a distinctive personal story who could neutralize the gender appeal of his Democratic opponent, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink:
Conservatives Give Thumbs Up To Jennifer Carroll's Selection Marco Rubio's statement: "Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate election, offered high praise to GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott for picking Rep. Jennifer Carroll, R-Jacksonville, as his running mate on Thursday. 'I congratulate Rick Scott on selecting my good friend Jennifer Carroll as his running mate,' said Rubio. 'As a Navy veteran, business owner, elected official and mother, Jennifer has always answered the call to serve our nation and state. Jennifer has been a trusted friend and colleague who represents everything that public servants should be, and I know she will be an asset to our next governor, Rick Scott."
From Sunshine State News: "'I could not be more pleased at the selection of Jennifer Carroll for lieutenant governor as she is a true friend of the family,' said John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, minutes after Carroll was announced as the running mate on Thursday. 'In both word and deed, she understands how important marriage and family structures are to the continuation of social order in our society. I applaud Rick Scott for his principled decision-making in selecting such a reliable social conservative as Jennifer Caroll as his running mate.' Stemberger applauded Carroll’s strong record in defense of life and her support of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment back in 2008."
From Sunshine State News: "Incoming Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, praised Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott for selecting a member of his caucus, Rep. Jennifer Carroll of Jacksonville, as his running mate for lieutenant governor. 'Having served with Jennifer Carroll in the Florida House for the last six years, I know her to be a committed conservative who, like Rick Scott will stand by the values of lower taxes, limited government and personal responsibility,' said Cannon. 'Jennifer is a lifelong public servant whose record of military and legislative service, combined with her experience building and operating a small business, makes her an ideal choice for this important post during this historical time in our state."
Wasn't Jennifer Carroll Dissing Rick Scott's Candidacy Just Last Month, Saying He Was A Visionless Neophyte Seeking Personal Gain? From Crowley Political Report: "Carroll supported Attorney General Bill McCollum in the race to win the GOP nomination for Florida governor. During a meeting of Clay County Republicans last month, Carroll told the crowd that she supported McCollum over Scott for governor because: 'We do not need that seat to be a seat where you're learning, to be a seat where it's for personal gain, to be a seat where the residents and the citizens of the state of Florida will be negatively impacted because of a lack of vision.' Apparently she has changed her mind. .See a video of Carroll's [Clayton County] speech here."
During today's press conference in Jacksonville to announce her selection as Rick Scott’s running mate, a reporter asked why Ms. Carroll jumped ship after initially supporting Bill McCollum for governor. “After the primary election, I saw Rick Scott through his primary campaign, and his message resonated with me,” Ms. Carroll answered. “But that doesn’t mean you jump ship. Your word has to be your bond, and at the end of the day, the bottom line: Rick and I have similar visions for Florida. It’s about jobs, jobs, jobs.”
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| Mr. Meek (pictured left) and Mr. Crist |
Regular readers of Booker Rising may recall that Gov. Charlie Crist last year considered Florida State Rep. Jennifer Carroll as a possible replacement for resigning U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.). So obviously Gov. Crist liked today's announcement. Well, check out this Sunshine State News article: "Meek’s campaign is trying to round up Democratic voters who may be tempted to vote for Crist as the best option to keep Republican candidate Marco Rubio from winning and have been hammering away at the governor, arguing that he is still a conservative at heart despite leaving the GOP."
More: "'Add Rick Scott's selection of Republican Jennifer Carroll to the long list where Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist agree,' said Dave Hoffman, a spokesman for Meek. 'From extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to putting the interests of big developers before the needs of the middle class, to Rick Scott's running mate, Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist are one of the same. Middle-class Floridian families need a real Democrat who will fight for them -- not politicians that are more interested in advancing their careers.'"
