Florida challenger targets ‘GOP establishment’ in high-profile race to replace Vern Buchanan
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Eddie Speir isn’t afraid to fight the Florida GOP establishment. In 2024, he ran for Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., won less than 40% of the vote, positioning himself as a constitutional outsider against the entrenched Republican centrist.
Now, with Buchanan’s announcement of Jan. 27 that he will retire after nearly a decade in DC, Speir is launching another grassroots, outside party to challenge the “RINO Republicans” he so often derides.
FLORIDA GOP REP VERN BUCHANAN TO RETIRE, JOIN FUTURE HOUSE
“This is a continuation of what I did in 1924, when I competed with Vern Buchanan to expose the RINOs. [Republicans In Name Only] overseeing the county…and the taxpayers of Florida. So we need someone to step up and actually stand up and go to Washington DC with a bold and uncompromising agenda in the higher social circles that exist in DC.”
Eddie Speir, founder of Inspiration Academy, is a technology entrepreneur and candidate for congress in Florida’s 16th district, which includes Manatee County and the eastern half of Hillsborough County. (Fox News Digital)
Speir said he believes his messages and support are what will carry him through to victory on August 18.
“We were the largest group in the history of this state. . . . No one else came close to getting 40% in the entire state of Florida. …
REVOLUTION OF DAYLIGHT SAVING HTS WALL AS LAWYERS GET OUT OF ‘OUTDATED PRACTICE’
Florida political observers have battled over many potential candidates for Speir in the GOP primary. Chief among these is Trump ally Joe Gruters, who cut his teeth in politics working on Buchanan’s campaign and would be his successor.
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., attends a House Ways and Means Committee meeting. Buchanan recently announced his resignation from Congress. (Bill Clark/Getty Images)
However, Gruters’ potentially difficult appointment is offset by the three senior positions he currently holds. He is a Florida state senator, chairman of the RNC, and a candidate for Florida Chief Financial Officer in 2026.
Gruters is considered a strong opponent of Speir, and some believe he may leave his position as Florida CFO to run for Florida’s 16th district.
THE BAD TRUTH ABOUT TODAY’S ‘ANTI-FASCISM’
New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran has also been discussed as a possible candidate. Speir was appointed to the board of trustees of the New College of Florida by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2023, but the Florida Senate refused to confirm his nomination.
Speir’s controversial tenure at New College, and the subsequent denial of his confirmation by the Florida Senate, put Speir on the national stage at a time when the Florida GOP was clearly seeking to rename the school the “Hillsdale of the South.”
Additional candidates who may join the field include former state assemblyman Mike Beltran, developer Carlos Beruff, former state Senate President Bill Galvano, and Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn.
Speir says he will face not only the GOP establishment, but President Donald Trump as well. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Speir said he recognizes that he may face not only the local GOP establishment, but President Donald Trump:
“In the ’24 primary, Vern Buchanan had a terrible record, and Donald Trump endorsed him and a number of other formidable candidates. So we have to be able to separate Trump’s priorities and his constitutional push, against the political machine he’s working with, because that political machine is not doing anything from the Republican Party,” Speir said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
“So I think consensus means a little bit. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to get Trump’s endorsement, but we’ve already got it. [a] historic vote, and as a contender in 2024.”
