I won’t pretend that I’m not disappointed that Atwater won’t be running, but we have a strong bench in FL, and both DeSantis and Putnam would be great.
That likely means Atwater wants to be the next Governor. It may also mean that Rubio informed him privately that he might run for reelection, since he has yet to officially take himself out of the running (unfortunately). If Rubio does decide to not run for a 2nd term, both he and Gov. Scott may push for Lt Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera to do so. Avoiding an ugly internecine battle where the candidates deplete their $$ resources is important. Absent Atwater, I don’t have a particular favorite I’m leaning to, but it will be a closer race without him.