A Republican state senator in Florida is planning to challenge Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) in the general election next year, running as an independent and throwing a wrench into a race in a solidly Republican district.

State Sen. Burt Saunders (R) chose to run against Mack in the general election because he does not think the Republican primary offers him a fair chance. He said he will caucus with Republicans in Congress if he wins.

The state Republican Party sent a pair of releases Monday morning assuring that Gov. Charlie Crist (R), the state party, and the Republican National Committee will fully support Mack.

State GOP Chairman Jim Greer said: “While it is disappointing that Sen. Saunders would abandon the deep-rooted values of the Republican Party of Florida in exchange for his own personal gain, his decision to run as a non-party affiliate is another example of why Congressman Connie Mack is better suited and more qualified to serve the people of the 14th congressional district.”

If Saunders is able to draw a significant portion of the GOP vote, it appears possible that he could also open the door to a strong Democrat.

President Bush won the district with just more than 60 percent of the vote in 2000 and 2004, while second-termer Mack has beaten nominal Democratic competition by about a two-to-one margin in both of his campaigns. If Saunders can take a significant chunk of Mack’s vote, the winner might need only 40 percent of the vote or less.

National Democrats have not targeted the race. Professor Larry Byrnes (D) is running but has not raised significant money.

Susan McManus, a government professor at the University of South Florida, said she sees Saunders’s announcement as a trial balloon to see how much discontent there is among local Republicans with Washington.

Mack comes from a well-known political family and would be the favorite thanks to the power of incumbency, she said.

“[Saunders is] a candidate you can’t take lightly by any stretch,” McManus said. “In light of his political background, I don’t think he would be doing this unless he thought he had a chance and unless he also is hearing the roar of animus towards Washington. But it’s still a tough battle to tackle Mack.”

In his announcement, Saunders assured that he has “fully evaluated the implications of running for the United States Congress.”

He said in an interview that Mack has abandoned the district and cited the congressman’s engagement to Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.).

“Our current congressman really isn’t living in southwest Florida; he’s getting married to a congresswoman from California and he’s going to be spending, presumably, a lot of time there,” Saunders said. “And so a lot of people don’t believe he really has southwest Florida at heart.”

Saunders has served in public office in the area for a quarter-century.

He has been a Collier County government attorney, a member of the Collier County Commission and a state representative in addition to a state senator.

Mack’s campaign spokesman, Jeff Cohen, said, “Any one has a right to run for office.”