Tallahassee, FL - GOP Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday named former aide George LeMieux to fill the seat of outgoing GOP Sen. Mel Martinez. LeMieux, a longtime Republican insider in the state, has served as chairman of the Broward County Republican Party, deputy state attorney general and campaign manager for Crist’s 2006 run for governor. He ran unsuccessfully for the state House in 1998.
LeMieux was among nine other candidates who made Crist’s short list, which included several former congressmen, former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney and former state attorney general and secretary of state Jim Smith. Martinez, who announced on August 7 he would step down when his successor was named, congratulated LeMieux and promised a smooth transition. “George is bright, capable, and an accomplished administrator,” Martinez said in a statement. Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer said he thinks LeMieux is a “well qualified” and “excellent” choice. “I think the governor recognized that George brought much to the table to be considered,” Greer said.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen L. Thurman wasted little time in attacking the pick as an example of cronyism and accused Crist of playing “political games with the public’s trust.”
“In appointing LeMieux, someone who has made millions over the past several years selling access to Crist to the highest bidders among Tallahassee's special interests, Charlie Crist once again put his own political ambition above doing what is right for Florida,” Thurman said in a statement. “Floridians are sick of the Republican culture of corruption and the Tallahassee back room dealings that clearly led Crist to pick LeMieux, whose only qualification is being Charlie Crist's crony.”
“In appointing LeMieux, someone who has made millions over the past several years selling access to Crist to the highest bidders among Tallahassee's special interests, Charlie Crist once again put his own political ambition above doing what is right for Florida,” Thurman said in a statement. “Floridians are sick of the Republican culture of corruption and the Tallahassee back room dealings that clearly led Crist to pick LeMieux, whose only qualification is being Charlie Crist's crony.”
The governor has his right to choose whomever he desire and most times, they chose within their party and that’s what this Governor did here in Florida on today. I really think that a special election should be held to fill these vacant and open U.S. Senate seats, so the people can have a say in who is representing them. It’s time out for this appointing process and that let one man or woman decide who is going to represent us and our tax dollars.
