Daytona Beach, FL – One of Volusia County’s state lawmakers says he’s considering a run for Congress.
In a recent appearance on WNDB’s Marc Bernier Show, District 25 State Representative Fred Costello said he hasn’t made up his mind yet but plans to do so once the 2016 session of the Florida Legislature ends in March.
The United States House of Representatives spot Costello is considering running for is the District 6 seat being vacated by fellow Republican Ron DeSantis. He’s making a run for the US Senate seat Marco Rubio is giving up as part of his White House bid.
That race has seen some flux recently after another GOP candidate – former US Congresswoman Sandy Adams – posted on Facebook the day before Thanksgiving that she’s reconsidering her run due to health.
Costello admitted in the interview that he thinks Adams is “well-qualified” but he didn’t rule out going for the District 6 seat even if she stays in the race.
“If I feel that that’s the way I’m being led to go, I want to be responsive to that,” Costello added.
He also told Bernier that he will give 100% during the 2016 Florida legislative session and that he feels he can probably do more at the state level than in Washington, DC.
Former New Smyrna Beach Mayor Adam Barringer and Ormond Beach realtor GG Galloway have also thrown their names in the mix on the Republican side.
For the Democrats, Port Orange resident Richard Dembinsky is running and so is District 26 State Representative Dwayne Taylor. The former Daytona Beach City Commissioner is term-limited in the state House and had initially declared that he would run against Jason Davis for Volusia County Council Chairman before changing his mind.
Costello – an Ormond Beach dentist whose wife Linda is on the Volusia County School Board – re-joined the Florida House of Representatives in 2014, taking 60% of the vote while beating Democrat Noel Bickford for the seat that used to be held by current Florida 7th Circuit Judge Dave Hood.
Like Hood, Costello is a former Ormond Beach mayor and city commissioner who moved up to the state House, serving initially from 2010 to 2012. He was Ormond’s mayor for 8 years and spent 3 years as a commissioner prior to that.
Fred Costello (photo courtesy Florida House)
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.