Jan 13, 2009 7:57 pm US/Eastern
Rep. Kendrick Meek Runs For U.S. Senate
Meek Is The First Candidate to Announce He's Running
DeFede: Meeks Campaign Is Expected To Be An Expensive One
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek
CBS
Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek announced his candidacy on Tuesday
for Florida's open U.S. Senate seat in 2010.
"Our state needs bold leadership at every level, and that and it is why I've made the decision to run as a candidate for the United States Senate," Rep. Meek said. "This race is not about me, it is about Floridians. I am running for Florida, and I am asking Floridians to run with us in this race."
The 42-year-old politician is beginning his fourth term in Congress. He sits on the powerful Ways & Means Committee and the Armed Services Committee and has a close relationship with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Joined by his family outside his home in North Miami-Dade, Rep. Meek said that issues in Florida such as high foreclosure rates and high prescription drug costs prompted him in his decision.
He added, "I want to be a fighter for Florida with a strong voice that won't let the special interests stand in the way of what's right. Too many in our country are hurting. Too much is at stake. We have no time to waste."
The Miami resident previously served eight years in the Legislature. As a senator, he staged a sit-in protest in then-Governor Jeb Bush's office complex over a proposal to strip affirmative action protections from state contracting and university admissions.
He graduated from the Miami-Dade public school system and received his bachelor's degree from Florida A&M.
Rep. Meek is married to the former Leslie Dixon of Brooklyn, New York for seventeen years, and they have two children, Lauren and Kendrick Jr. Rep. Meek is the son of former Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek.
Other Democrats who might toss their hat in the ring are Miami Beach State Senator Dan Gelber and Chief Financial Officer for the State and Crist cabinet member Alex Sink. On the Republican side is former state house speaker Marco Rubio, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Connie Mack Junior, a congressman from Florida's west coast.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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