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Florida: Can Boehner Convince His Bud Holtz to Run?

Former Notre Dame football coach and potential Congressional candidate Lou Holtz (R) is no stranger to the House Republican Conference; he gave them a pep talk at their January retreat in 2007.

Holtz approached Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) about speaking to the Conference after seeing the Republican leader at the Augusta National Golf Club shortly after the GOP sustained significant losses in the 2006 midterm elections.

The National Republican Congressional Committee would not comment on the possibility of a Holtz candidacy, but the ESPN analyst’s name began being floated this week as a potential challenger to freshman Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.).

Kosmas defeated Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) in 2008, winning 57 percent of the vote.

Boehner and the ESPN analyst have stayed in touch since Holtz’s speech, but the Ohio Republican will not be making a house call during the August recess, his campaign office confirmed.

Holtz has donated thousands of dollars to GOP candidates, including Boehner, over the past 10 years, according to the Federal Election Commission.

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