The first stop of the Fighting for Liberty Tour earned conservatives a success as conservative Republican Curt Clawson, a candidate for Florida’s 19th District, won a hard-earned victory in the Republican primary.Clawson, the Sen. Rand Paul-endorsed conservative candidate, secured the GOP nomination for Florida’s special congressional election to replace former Representative Trey Radal who resigned after a cocaine possession conviction.
The primary race was a tough one with four primary contenders in a state where every votes counts thanks to a high turnout rate from Florida’s senior citizen population. The race was marred by bitter attack ads and personal attacks. Clawson, a former Purdue basketball star, rose to political prominence when the candidate released an ad that aired during the Super Bowl locally where Clawson challenged President Obama to a three-point challenge.
The night’s celebration started early in the evening as polls began to close. Within an hour, the Associated Press called it for Clawson who had been backed by former Rep. Connie Mack and Tea Party groups working to place conservatives in the House.
Clawson’s largest opponent, State Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, ran a competitive race and was endorsed by Sarah Palin. Benacquisto, according to FEC filings, outraised Clawson. Benacquisto garnered 26% of the votes and former state Rep. Paige Kreegel earned 25%.
Clawson’s victory speech touched on many themes. While noting the importance of grassroots support, Clawson pushed many conservative themes, saying, “We are not the party of class envy and redistribution; we are the party of opportunity, of ambition, of success and of lifting each other up.”
Clawson directly addressed President Obama, stating, “To President Obama: we’re not going to agree on a lot. We’re not going to agree on economic growth; we’re probably not going to agree on taxes. We’re not going to agree on the deficit and I’m going to challenge you on these things. I’m going to challenge you on the economy, on the Constitution, on the Second Amendment.”
“But first,” Clawson continued, “I’m going to challenge you on the basketball court… My house or yours.”
Clawson is expected to win the congressional seat in the general election against Democrat April Freeman in the heavily Republican district.
The Tea Party Express’ ninth tour, the Fighting for Liberty Tour, takes activists and media to 14 cities in ten states and aims to invigorate the grassroots in primaries.