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Eddie Speir is not afraid of a fight with the Florida GOP establishment. In 2024, he took on 10-term incumbent Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and won just under 40% of the vote, positioning himself as a constitutional conservative outsider against an entrenched moderate Republican.
Now, with Buchanan’s Jan. 27 announcement that he would be retiring after a nearly two-decade stint in D.C., Speir is launching another grassroots, outsider candidacy to challenge the “RINO Republicans” that he frequently derides.
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“This is just a continuation of what I did in ’24, which was run against Vern Buchanan to expose the RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] that are not representing the district…and the taxpayers of Florida. So we need somebody that’s gonna step up and actually represent and go to Washington D.C. with a bold agenda and not compromise to the elite social circles that are up there in D.C.”
Eddie Speir, founder of Inspiration Academy, tech entrepreneur and congressional candidate for Florida’s 16th district, comprising Manatee County and the eastern portion of Hillsborough County. (Fox News Digital)
Speir said he believes that his messaging and grassroots support will carry him through to victory in the Aug. 18 primary.
“We were the largest grassroots movement in this district’s history…Nobody else had even come close to earning 40% in the entire state of Florida. … So, it’s hard to push against an incumbent here in Florida. But now there’s not even an incumbent, so we’re just gonna continue the same momentum that we had and get the message out.”
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Florida political observers have batted about several possible contenders that might join Speir in the GOP primary. Chief among these is close Trump ally Joe Gruters, who cut his political teeth working on Buchanan’s campaign and would be…
