Politico: Former Republican Rep. Dave Weldon is seriously considering entering the Florida Senate race and will make a decision on a campaign next week, POLITICO has learned.

“I have had a lot of people in Florida ask me to get in, including elected officials and special interest groups,” Weldon said in a brief interview Thursday. “They think I’d have a better shot at winning in November, beating Sen. Bill Nelson.”

Dave Weldon? The ex-congressman has been invisible in recent years and is probably less known than Mike McCalister. Weldon's trial balloon says a lot about Connie Mack IV's perception problems, but Bill Nelson surely wouldn't mind facing a Republican nominee best known for pressing for congressional intervention in the Terri Schiavo case.

Coming next week: Rep. Richard Nugent Weighing Senate Bid: "I'm honored by all the calls of encouragement...."