Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., announced Tuesday he will retire from Congress after 16 years to care for his wife, a decision expected to spark a crowded and competitive Republican primary in Florida’s 11th District.
“No one has any idea who will succeed Dan Webster in [Florida’s] 11th District, but you can be sure the Republican primary will be a three-ring circus,” former Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., told reporters shortly after the announcement.
The Central Florida lawmaker, 77 and the dean of Florida’s congressional delegation, cited increasing health needs for his beloved wife Sandy and said he could not assist in her caregiving at home while serving in Congress.
“The time has come to pass the torch to the next conservative leader and spend more precious time with my wife, children, and 24 grandchildren,” Webster stated.
As to who will succeed Webster, analysts note it will likely be another Republican.
With the very likely enactment of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s redistricting plan that reduces the state’s Democratic U.S. representatives from eight to four, Webster’s 11th District remains solidly Republican.
“The new 11th is plus-16% Republican, and that’s just what the present 11th is,” Florida Attorney Mauricio Tamargo, former top aide to Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., told reporters.
With 45 days until the August 18 primary filing deadline, several local officials are likely to jump into the race and make Mica’s prediction of a three-ring circus come true.
Winter Park mechanic Mike Wilnau, 27, was already in the race against Webster and had signed the pledge supporting a constitutional amendment limiting congressional terms.
One intriguing possibility for the race is former State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, who placed second in the eight-candidate GOP primary in Florida’s neighboring 7th District that was won by current Rep. Cory Mills (who has faced scrutiny from the House Ethics Committee).
Sabatini wrote Tuesday on social media that he had been encouraged by “many Patriots and Supporters” to run for Congress, FL-11.
“We are reviewing the new congressional map now,” Sabatini said. “We need Members of Congress who will ENSURE we deport 30 million illegals & protect the American way of life. Stay tuned.”
