Sen. Mike Haridopolos is almost certain to be elected to succeed Senate President Jeff Atwater now that he’s garnered the support of one of his chief rivals.

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, issued a press release today endorsing the Melbourne Republican.

“Mike and I have been friends since our first day in the Legislature, and I am confident he will be a strong president,” the release said. “I will be honored to be a part of his leadership team and continue to serve my constituents and the Florida Senate in this capacity.”

Haridopolos, an anti-tax conservative, is slated to assume the presidency after the November 2010 elections, when 11 open Senate seats are up for grabs.

He’ll preside during the all-important redistricting and reapportionment sessions in 2011 and 2012.

Bennett, a moderate, said he will be on Haridopolos’ leadership team but did not say in what position.

Atwater, a North Palm Beach Republican, is leaving the Senate to run for chief financial officer.

Tags: 2010 campaigns, Jeff Atwater, Mike Haridopolos, State Senate

This entry was posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009 at 3:44 pm and is filed under 2010 campaigns, Jeff Atwater, legislature, State Senate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.