Former Republican Congressman Allen West has not officially ruled out the possibility of running for the Florida senate seat against current Senator Marco Rubio in 2016.
In an exclusive interview with WMAL, West was asked if he has considered participating in the 2016 Republican Florida primary — and while his response was not an emphatic yes or no, he did say that he has talked it over with his wife and children.
“Yes, I sat down and talked to my wife and my two daughters about it. There’s a lot of things we’re doing right now,” West said, going on to list a handful of his ongoing projects that are currently preoccupying his time, such as work on his new book and his role in the Allen West Foundation.
Still, WMAL’s Larry O’Connor — who took note of West’s attempt to evade the question — asked again: “What about an Allen West primary challenge for that senate seat?”
For the second time, West failed to provide a direct response, yet admitted that challenging Rubio would not be an easy task.
“That’s a pretty heavy lift, because you’re talking about running against a sitting senator, and then, of course, that creates that schism that the other side would love to see happen,” he said.
West was then pressed further and said in response: “I will serve this country in whatever capacity that I possibly can. My most important concern is my country but if I see people that are not taking our country down the right path, if I see people that are not standing up for the right type of principles, and putting their own party politics before what is best for the United States of America,” he hinted that he may enter the running for the senate seat in 2016.
Ultimately, however, West believes the races are still up in the air and that his faith will direct him to make the right choices.
“We’ll see what happens down the pike,” West said. “God will set my feet on the right path.”
Follow Lilly Workneh @Lilly_Works