The NRA installed Sen. Steube in much the same way they installed Sen. Flores, according to Republican Rep. Ray Pilon whom Steube defeated for his seat. Rep. Pilon told Sunshine State News that Marion Hammer is a ruthless lobbyist for the NRA who “was a major influence in getting Steube elected and defeating me and other candidates.”
Despite the power of the NRA, though, Flores is a powerful senator in her own right. Having recently filed legislation that rips a tax credit from insurance companies to pay for a reduction to the state’s communications services tax rate with the support of Florida Senate President Joe Negron and Governor Rick Scott, Sen. Flores has proven her political capital. Additionally, Moms Demand Action (MDA), a gun control lobby, has already come out in support of Sen. Flores’s opposition to Sen. Steube’s legislation, complete with a picture on Twitter of MDA Florida chapter’s leader, Michelle Gajda.
