Who will be Governor Scott’s choice as a running mate? Maybe Allen West?

Governor Rick Scott is running for reelection in 2014. Currently he does not have a running mate, as Jennifer Carroll resigned as Lieutenant Governor. Early indications are that former Governor, and former Republican, Charlie Crist and Senator Bill Nelson will run in the Democrat primary.

Who will Governor Scott pick to fill the Lieutenant Governor’s position?

Will his pick be a safe one or will it be a bold move that changes the game?

The WDW grapevine says the following are candidates being pushed by various groups to become the Lieutenant Governor.

Allen West – West is the former Congressman from Florida District 18. West is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. West joined the United States Army in 1982, a year before receiving a B.A. in political science. In 1986, West earned an M.A. in political science at Kansas State University.  Deployed for the Iraq War in 2003, West was involved in a controversial interrogation incident, which led to his resignation and retirement in 2004. After retiring, West moved to Florida. In 2010, West won the FL District 20 seat, coinciding with historic Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections. On January 3, 2011, West took office as the first black Republican Congressman from Florida since Josiah T. Walls left office in 1876. In his brief congressional career, West served on the Armed Services and Small Business Committees. He was also a member of the Tea Party Caucus and has been referred to as one of the champions of the Tea Party movement.  He is currently the host of Next Generation TV with PJ Media. He is a nationally known figure who has been characterized as having gravitas.

Doug Holder – Representative Holder was first elected to office in 2006 and serves southern Sarasota County as the State Representative for Florida House District 74. As a small business owner, Holder is focused on economic development for his district and Florida. He believes in hard work, perseverance, and the value of good business practices from stories of his great grandfather who bartered to survive the Great Depression and from his father who became a successful business man using these same principles. Public service has been a part of Doug’s life since he was a teenager when he was active in student government as the Student Body President, and served as the Student Ambassador for George Herbert Walker Bush. Born in Marietta, Georgia, Doug is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with minors in Art, Psychology and Public Relations. Representative Holder currently is a member of the Florida House Leadership Team and serves as Chairman of Regulatory Affairs Committee which oversees DBPR, Energy & Utilities and Insurance & Banking. In addition, he sits on the Rules & Calendar Committee as well as the Ethics & Elections Committee.

Anitere Flores – Senator Flores has been representing District 37 since 2010. She previously served in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 114th District from 2004-2010. She served as House Deputy Majority Leader. Senator Flores was named Senate Majority Whip while also serving as the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition, Senator Flores sits on the Budget Committee, Budget Subcommittee on Education PreK-12 Appropriations, Commerce and Tourism Committee, Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities Committee, Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee, Reapportionment Committee, and Rules Committee. In 2011, Senator Anitere Flores worked with her colleagues to introduce a Florida style immigration law focusing on ensuring that Florida has a legal workforce and working with the federal government to repatriate undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of crimes and are in prison. These 5,500 individuals cost the state of Florida over $100 million each year to incarcerate.

Raquel Regalado – Represents District 6 on the Miami-Dade School Board. District 6 encompasses the areas of Key Biscayne, the Roads, East Little Havana, Shenandoah, Silver Bluff, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami and Westchester. In the Board, Ms. Regalado is the Chair of the Facilities and Construction Reform Committee, and a member of the following committees: Instructional Excellence & Community Engagement, School Support & Accountability, and Innovation, Efficiency & Governmental Relations. Ms. Regalado is admitted to practice law in Florida state courts, as well as in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She is an active member of several bar associations, including the American Bar Association, the Cuban American Bar Association, and the Intellectual Property Law Association of Florida. She was also an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus. Ms. Regalado was named a Rising Star in Intellectual Property Litigation by Florida Trend and in 2009, was ranked among the top 40 attorneys in Miami-Dade County under 40 years old by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

WDW will continue to monitor this process of the selection of a running mate for Governor Scott. If you have a tip on a candidate being considered send it to us.

RELATED COLUMN: Who Makes the Most Sense to Replace Jennifer Carroll?