George LeMieux was sworn in as a U.S. Senator this afternoon by Vice President Joe Biden in the U.S. Capitol. LeMieux, an attorney was was a Broward County GOP chairman and right-hand man to Gov. Charlie Crist, was appointed by Crist last month to replace Sen. Mel Martinez, whose resignation took effect Wednesday.

LeMieux, who’ll serve the final months of Martinez’ term, has said he won’t seek election to the seat in 2010 when Crist runs for it.

“There are tremendous issues facing this nation, and although my time in Washington will be brief, I intend to work hard every day to address these critical challenges and serve the people of this unique, diverse and wonderful state,” he said in a statement released by his office.

Read LeMieux’s entire statement after the jump……

Statement from Sen. George LeMieux:

“It is an honor and privilege to serve the people of our great state and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Floridians in our nation’s capital.

“I thank Senator Mel Martinez for his service and his assistance during this transition; he is a great example of the fulfillment of the American Dream. I look forward to continuing the Florida tradition of working together with my colleague, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) to ensure that Florida’s interests are well protected in the United States Senate.

“There are tremendous issues facing this nation, and although my time in Washington will be brief, I intend to work hard every day to address these critical challenges and serve the people of this unique, diverse and wonderful state.

“As the father of three small children, I will do my part to make sure that America continues to be a place of hope and opportunity, for all Americans. I know that parents, both in Florida and around this country, want the same for their children and share my concerns regarding the national debt and out of control spending that threatens our children’s future.

“As the son of parents who worked hard all their lives to provide for their family, I will work to safeguard seniors and the programs that protect their quality of life.”

Tags: Joe Biden

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Charlie Crist, George Bennett, George LeMieux, Mel Martinez. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.