[POLITICO] Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, is strongly considering a bid for U.S. Senate, calculating that having Hillary Clinton at the top of the 2016 ticket would help lift her candidacy in a year-of-the-woman campaign.
Driving Wasserman Schultz's interest: the increasing likelihood that Sen. Marco Rubio will run for the White House and that he ultimately won't seek reelection in 2016, Democratic insiders familiar with her thinking say. Her office wouldn't discuss her interest in the Senate.
"Of course she's considering it: Open Senate seats are pretty rare," said Andrew Weinstein, a longtime supporter of the Weston congresswoman and a 2012 member of President Barack Obama's national finance team.
"If you're a nationally known candidate with a strong fundraising record and a good relationship with your constituents and supporters, you would definitely look at it," Weinstein added.
Like a number of Democratic insiders -- four of whom spoke on condition of anonymity in confirming her Senate interest -- Weinstein stressed he wasn't favoring any potential candidate and didn't want to appear to slight Rep. Patrick Murphy, who represents Florida's 18th Congressional District and is considered the most likely Democrat to seek a Senate seat in 2016. |