Rep. John Rutherford was one of three Republicans who wouldn't vote for Ohio's Jim Jordan for Speaker of the U.S. House.
And it turns out that his failure to back the Freedom Caucus Republican may lead to the most serious Primary challenge for the four-term Republican since he won the Republican nomination in 2016 against a crowded field.
Duval County School Board member April Carney tells Florida Politics that a "major bundler" has reached out to her to gauge her interest in primarying the 71-year-old former Jacksonville Sheriff.
Carney spoke out on the "X" social media platform after Rutherford's vote, demanding to know his rationale.
"I'm trying really hard to understand why my Republican Congressman would put control of the House in serious jeopardy. Your constituents would like an explanation," she posted at 3:41 p.m. Tuesday.
Asked about the post, Carney told us she was "disappointed he continues to disregard the opinions of his constituents."
Asked about how interested she was in running for Congress, Carney demurred, saying she's "so busy with school board" that she "honestly (has) no idea."
The Congressman has been actively fundraising, despite having only nominal opposition so far in the form of perennial candidate Gary Koniz.
In Q3 of this year, Rutherford raised nearly $125,000 and had nearly $390,000 banked as of the end of September.
Of the new money, $27,225 came from individuals, $65,000 from political committees, and $32,392 from other authorized committees.
It's worth noting that despite Rutherford's war chest, it's Carney who seems to be closest to DeSantis. She was on the host committee for a recent Duval County fundraising event for his presidential campaign, and he endorsed her in 2022's School Board race.
Meanwhile, Rutherford backed Adam Putnam in the Primary against DeSantis back in 2018.
Rutherford did not offer comment when we texted him about the potential challenge on Tuesday evening before publication.
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