Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera is entering the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by his close friend Marco Rubio, who is running for president.
The 41-year-old Republican made his announcement Wednesday afternoon at the headquarters of All American Containers, a Miami company whose owner and employees have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to mostly Republican candidates.
"Less taxes, less government, and more freedom for all of you," he told the crowd at the event.
Lopez-Cantera joins Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis, who has already declared.
Democratic Congressmen Patrick Murphy and Alan Grayson are also running for the seat. The race is expected to draw national attention from both major parties and the media as it is seen as a possible Democratic pickup.
Lopez-Cantera, a Miami native who previously served in the Florida House of Representatives for eight years, was also elected property appraiser of Miami-Dade in 2012.
"I think probably he'll be doing the same thing I do every day which is focus on the most important issue we have in our state and the country, and it's continue to get more jobs," Gov. Rick Scott said.
