As Florida House speaker from 2022 to 2024, Paul Renner passed the kind of red-meat legislation the GOP base craved.<\/p>\n
Concealed weapon carry without a permit. A six-week abortion ban. A prohibition on medical treatment for children with gender dysphoria. A rollback on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools and universities. The elimination of income limits to qualify for private school vouchers. And much more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was determined as speaker to put as many conservative wins on the board as possible,\u201d Renner told a crowd of Hillsborough County Republicans in mid-February.<\/p>\n
Renner\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9, which includes decorated service in the U.S. Navy and a career as a state prosecutor, should make him an instant contender in the Republican primary for governor.<\/p>\n
And yet in the six months since Renner, 58, declared his candidacy, he\u2019s lagging far behind the front-runner in the race, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds. (Renner and Donalds know each other well; they served in the Florida House of Representatives together, and Renner beat out Donalds and two others in the race for House speaker<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Of about a dozen polls<\/a> conducted since Renner announced on Sept. 3<\/a>, he has yet to break into double digits, while Donalds consistently tops 35%.<\/p>\n Renner has raised more than $5 million in his campaign so far. While that\u2019s more than two of the other Republicans in the race \u2014 James Fishback and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins \u2014 it\u2019s magnitudes below the $40 million Donalds has in his campaign war chest.<\/p>\n According to Google Trends, Renner\u2019s name is last among the four candidates for web search terms in Florida over the past month. And with six months to go before state Republicans choose their party\u2019s nominee, the clock is ticking for Renner to make up ground.<\/p>\n In interviews, Republican leaders praised Renner\u2019s character and conservative bona fides.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul\u2019s a good and honorable man,\u201d said Adam Ross, Pinellas County\u2019s tax collector and the chairperson of the Pinellas GOP.<\/p>\n But Ross said Renner\u2019s candidacy lacked a key ingredient: \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have the support from the two people who matter most to Republicans.\u201d<\/p>\n Last summer, President Donald Trump announced he was backing Donalds, cementing his front-runner status.<\/p>\n Then, on the day Renner announced his bid for governor, Gov. Ron DeSantis declined to endorse his campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it was an ill-advised decision to enter the race,\u201d DeSantis saidof Renner at the time.<\/p>\n Observers have long speculated that DeSantis\u2019 wife, Casey, may enter the race. DeSantis alsodeclined to endorse Collins, his No. 2.<\/p>\n Renner told the Tampa Bay Times that he doesn\u2019t fault DeSantis for not endorsing anyone at this point in the race.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hope would be that we\u2019ll earn his support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Collins holds an important advantage over Renner in that, as lieutenant governor, he occupies a statewide office that DeSantis appointed him to last year. Renner is two years removed from his speaker post, a job that doesn\u2019t provide lasting name recognition.<\/p>\n \u201cFor two years, you get the glory as speaker,\u201d said Tom Gaitens, a former state committeeman in the Hillsborough GOP. \u201cBut that fades fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Exceptions include Marco Rubio, who is now U.S. secretary of state, and Daniel Webster, a longtime congressman. Just about every other speaker had to find their next job through personal connections, not votes.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause there\u2019s only so much oxygen in Tallahassee, the news cycle pushes them out so fast and they\u2019re soon forgotten,\u201d Gaitens said.<\/p>\n As speaker, Renner scored points with Gaitens after working closely with Hillsborough leaders to ensure tax money rejected for Hillsborough County projects would be used for roads. The average voter, however, doesn\u2019t see any of that. Renner doesn\u2019t help himself, Gaitens said, because he\u2019s a \u201clow-key kind of guy\u201d who doesn\u2019t brag.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not the most bombastic guy in the room,\u201d Gaitens said.<\/p>\n