Latest news with #Republican Party
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor DeSantis appoints Blaise Ingoglia as Florida's chief financial officer
The Brief Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Blaise Ingoglia as Florida's new chief financial officer. Ingoglia is a Florida Senator who previously served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. The announcement came at a press conference in Tampa on Wednesday. TAMPA, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Florida Sen. Blaise Ingoglia as the state's new chief financial officer at a news conference in Tampa on Wednesday. Ingoglia succeeds U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis, who resigned earlier this year to run for Congress, ultimately winning a special election to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz. Who is Blaise Ingoglia? The backstory A native of New York City, Ingoglia moved to Spring Hill in 1996 and founded Hartland Homes before running for public office in Hernando County in 2008. His first foray into state government came in 2014 when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. Ingoglia has served in the Florida Senate since 2022, representing District 11 – which consists of Citrus, Hernando, and Sumter counties, plus part of Pasco County. Ingoglia also served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida from 2015 until 2019, and has been described as a loyal supporter of DeSantis. His campaign website describes him as a "a leader on cutting taxes, fighting illegal immigration, protecting parental rights in education, and standing up to the Woke Mob." Dig deeper DeSantis' pick sets up a potential political war between the governor's camp and President Donald Trump's. Trump had originally endorsed Republican State Sen. Joe Gruters for the role. "If George Washington rose from the dead and came back and tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'will you appoint Joe Gruters CFO?' My response would be, 'no, I can't do that,'" said DeSantis. "I am appointing the most conservative senator in the state of Florida, someone that has a very clear record as a warrior." Ingoglia backed not only the governor's policies, but also his politics. He fought against the house's effort to strip immigration power from the governor, against the recreational marijuana amendment and the governor's property tax reform priority. But, he also fought for the governor in his 2024 presidential primary race against Trump. "If Blaise supported the Perez-Gruters amnesty bill, he would not be standing on this stage today," said DeSantis. "That's just the truth. And, I like him personally, but it doesn't matter. It's all about the record." Trump's endorsement of Gruters for CFO came in March of last year, in which he said Gruters, "did more than anyone to turn Florida red." "I do understand that there are powerful forces that are backing his bid," said Ingoglia. "I personally don't think that they know just how bad his legislative record is." The Gruters camp is firing back with news that they hired two of Trump's top advisors to manage his campaign, and a wink to Republican primary voters who chose Trump in the 2024 presidential primary over DeSantis by saying: "Appointing a never-Trumper for CFO over Trump's endorsed candidate will be viewed as a direct rebuke to the MAGA agenda and will end up just like DeSantis' other anti-MAGA efforts." What they're saying During Wednesday's news conference, DeSantis called Ingoglia "the most conservative Senator in the State of Florida." "Yes, he's got a great financial record, which is important, but I looked even broader than that because I want to be able to say 'who's running toward these fights and who's running and hiding?'" DeSantis said. Ingoglia also spoke at the news conference, saying spending has long been a priority of his at the state and local levels. "I promise you we are going to start digging in, and we are going to start calling out some of this wasteful spending," Ingoglia said. "We are going to be a proactive office. People call me a conservative pit bull in the Senate. I am going to be the conservative pit bull when it comes to spending as your next CFO, that I will promise you." Ingoglia talked about housing affordability, as well, including a direct message to property insurance companies that operate in the state. "If an insurance company does not do what they say they're going to do and are contractually obligated to do, I am going to call you out," Ingoglia said. "I am going to make sure that people know that the CFO will stand with people against unscrupulous insurance who are not doing what they are supposed to be doing." What's next It remains to be seen how the president himself will react to this appointment ahead of the 2026 primary, which is now just over a year away. The Source This story was written with information from a news conference in Tampa, Florida, on July 16, 2025, with additional biographical details from Blaise Ingoglia's campaign website and Pasco-Hernando State College. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is Rand Paul eyeing a 2028 presidential run? Here's what he had to say
Is Sen. Rand Paul eyeing another chance at the White House? "It's too early to tell" if he'll make a bid in the 2028 presidential election, he said at an event in Shepherdsville on July 14. But he didn't rule out a future run. "I think in the Republican Party, though, there needs to be someone representing that international trade is good for America, that we get richer and more prosperous in the world we trade..." Paul said. "There's a feeling for some, led by the president and others, that they want less trade and somehow limitations on trade." The Kentucky senator was recently featured in an Axios article on potential GOP contenders who are trying to build a national profile. According to the article, Paul has already visited Iowa and South Carolina and has plans to go to New Hampshire, an early primary state. Other possible contenders listed in the article included Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. It wouldn't be Paul's first time running for president. He previously ran in the Republican primary in 2016, where he traded insults with now-President Donald Trump. During the campaign, Paul called Trump a "fake conservative," as well as a "delusional narcissist and an orange-faced windbag." Meanwhile, Trump said Paul "reminds me of a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain." Paul dropped out in February 2016 after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses. Almost a decade later, he can still be seen as a foil to Trump on some policies, including government spending. Paul was one of three Republican senators who recently voted "no" on Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill" because it was projected to add to the nation's debt. He is generally described as a libertarian and considers himself a member of the Senate's informal Tea Party Caucus, a movement that generally opposes excessive taxation and government intervention. Paul's seat is next up for reelection in 2028. He could potentially run for both Senate and president, as he did in 2016, if the Kentucky Republican Party chooses to again hold a caucus instead of a primary for the presidential nomination. Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@ or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Is Rand Paul running for president in 2028? Here's what he had to say
