Several Republican presidential candidates are heading to Orlando, Florida on Tuesday for an “Economic Growth Summit” hosted by Gov. Rick Scott. Participants will include the Sunshine State’s top two contenders, Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush.
The event will be held at the Yacht & Beach Club at Walt Disney World. In addition to Rubio and Bush, Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), former Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) are scheduled to speak.
Rubio and Huckabee have already entered the race, and Perry is scheduled to announce on Thursday. The others have been making preparations to join the race and are expected to officially declare later this summer.
Scott centered his 2010 campaign and 2014 reelection on messages about economics and job creation, so this event is a natural fit for him. Brecht Heuchan, a spokesman for Scott’s political committee, Let’s Get to Work, told Breitbart News that Scott wants to highlight the success of Florida and also make sure that economic issues play a significant role from the beginning of the GOP primary.
“In this state, people are very optimistic about the future,” said Heuchan, “but we can’t afford four more years,” of Obama’s policies. “Florida is going to be very important [in the 2016 elections].”
The event will not include any straw polls or fundraising, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Those hoping for a Rubio vs. Bush showdown are likely to be disappointed. Rubio is scheduled to speak first during the morning session and Bush is on after lunch, so they need not cross paths. The schedule (subject to change):
Morning Session (9 a.m. to noon)
Gov. Rick Scott
Sen. Marco Rubio
Gov. Mike Huckabee
Gov. Rick Perry
Gov. Scott Walker
Afternoon Session (1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
Gov. Chris Christie
Gov. Bobby Jindal
Gov. Jeb Bush
Gov. Rick Scott
Breitbart News will be reporting live from the Economic Growth Summit, as well as continuing to follow the expanding field of 2016 candidates.
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.
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