Corcoran may make governor run official

TALLAHASSEE — Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran has been sounding like a candidate for governor for months. This could be the week he makes it official, throwing an extra element into the current twohorse GOP primary. Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, has been building up to a gubernatorial run since before his last legislative session, setting up a political committee and running ads highlighting his attempts to crack down on sanctuary cities and illegal immigration.

It’s the kind of ultraconservative position he’ll need to distinguish himself in a primary against Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, both of whom boast greater campaign resources.

Putnam has more than $21 million in the bank, and DeSantis has more than $6 million in both his political committee and campaign accounts. Corcoran, meanwhile, has raised $6.9 million but spent $4.6 million in one year — and yet he only garnered 7 percent support in a January Mason-Dixon poll. Putnam had 27 percent to DeSantis’ 23 percent in the poll, but 43 percent were still undecided.

Corcoran, a 53-year-old attorney known for his aggressive style and mastery of the legislative process, on Thursday teased a “big announcement” this week.

But Corcoran could have waited too late to have a shot in a race that’s already well under way, a GOP consultant said.

“He needs to stop this Hamlet business and make a decision,” the consultant, Mac Stipanovich, told the Tampa Bay Times. “Richard has a steeper hill to climb, and the sooner he begins to climb it, the better.”

DeSantis and Putnam have been taking shots at each other for months. They were courting social conservatives Saturday at a forum hosted by the Orlando-based Florida Family Policy Council — led by John Stemberger, a Corcoran ally, as Corcoran sat on the sidelines.

Although he is not a declared candidate, he was invited but did not attend.

Putnam has been running TV ads during sporting events, such as the Kentucky Derby and the NFL Draft. DeSantis has the backing of President Donald Trump and popular conservative radio hosts like Mark Levin. He is a frequent guest on Fox News shows.

The higher profiles of his opponents put Corcoran at a disadvantage, but don’t rule him out, political analysts say. Corcoran is shrewd and has the ability to shake up the primary, even if he doesn’t win it outright.

“He can do some damage on both those guys,” said Brian Burgess, a GOP strategist and former spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott. “He’s very politically savvy, and he’s surrounded himself with some very savvy people. They know what they’re doing. He will be dangerous, and he will need to be reckoned with.”

A spokesman said Corcoran was unavailable to be interviewed for this story.

Corcoran has developed an enigmatic persona. He has a reputation as being both a consummate insider and a scourge to “special interests” ready to “shake up the status quo” who nevertheless relies on special interest campaign donations.

He rose through GOP ranks to become Marco Rubio’s chief of staff when Rubio was Florida House Speaker in 2007. He ran unsuccessfully for the House in 2008 before winning a seat in 2010, gaining enough support to be speaker himself.

He garnered headlines in 2015 by defying the Senate’s push for a form of Medicaid expansion in line with Obamacare. As speaker, Corcoran imposed new transparency rules on lobbyists and picked a fight last year with Gov. Rick Scott over tourism funding that prompted Scott to run attack ads against him.

The pair mended their rift, however, and now Corcoran touts Scott’s support of his legislative priorities, including tax cuts and school choice expansion.

Corcoran