Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe today confirmed what up until a week ago had been considered a sure thing – he will run for the Republican nomination for Congress in Florida's District 11 next year, the Congressional seat that has been a safe home for Democrats ever since it was created decades ago.
Arriving a little past the 11:30 a.m. scheduled time at the Buddy Brew coffee house in downtown Tampa, Sharpe entered the packed room filled with media and local GOP members and spoke for over four minutes before he broke the suspense and confirmed that he will indeed challenge Democratic incumbent Kathy Castor, if he survives what could be a contested primary election.
Despite the negative feelings engendered by the recent debt ceiling discussions, Sharpe said "I absolutely believe we are at the beginning of something truly great for America, and I want to be a part of that. Which is why when I'm done answering questions, I'm going to file the paperwork to run for the U.S. Congress, District 11," which was proceeded by a huge cheer among the dozens of supporters awaiting to hear those very words.
This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2011.