U.S. Rep. Connie Mack | Credit: Gage Skidmore - Flickr

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack officially entered the U.S. Senate race this week -- and drew heavy fire from Republican rivals as well as from liberal activists. In a move that had been widely expected for weeks, Mack announced that he was entering the crowded Republican primary field looking to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.

MoveOn.org targeted Mack this week, holding one of their “99 percent Congressional Speak-Out” events at the congressman’s office in Cape Coral on Thursday.  

The Mack camp fired back, insisting that “George Soros and MoveOn.org are circling their wagons to protect their fellow lockstep liberal Bill Nelson.”

“It’s appalling that George Soros and the loony liberals of MoveOn.org are protecting Bill Nelson by staging a sit-in protest at Congressman Mack’s office,” said David James, Mack’s deputy campaign manager. “Three days after Connie Mack entered the race for U.S. Senate, these leftists are scared of the Mack candidacy and Connie’s message of freedom, security and prosperity. Florida has had enough of the loony left and will bring an end to their big government, big taxation and big spending agenda next November.”

The Florida Democratic Party took aim at Mack on Tuesday.

“The already packed race for U.S. Senate in Florida became more crowded with the entrance of Congressman Connie Mack IV who officially threw his family name into the ring,” said Scott Arceneaux, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. “Mack is well-versed in throwing his name around, relying more on his family’s history than his lackluster record in Tallahassee and Washington or his vast professional experience planning parties for Hooters.

“Mack and the GOP field continue their race to the right, appealing to the party’s far-right fringe and distancing themselves from the very independent-minded voters of Florida that decide elections,” added Arceneaux. “The bottom line: Mack brings more of the same tea party ideology we’ve seen from a field of contenders who have failed to gain traction against the independent leadership of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. As Nelson remains strong and focused on the general election, Mack will no doubt take heat from all sides in what is sure to be a bruising primary.”

Mack also drew heavy fire from his primary rivals this week as they look to reverse his large leads in the polls.

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux took aim at Mack on Wednesday, slamming the new candidate on spending in a statement.   

“Congressman Connie Mack is not protecting America when he’s ‘winning for Florida.’ The road to a $15 trillion national debt is paved with congressmen bringing home pork-barrel pet projects instead of focusing on America’s economic future," said LeMieux. “When I served in the U.S. Senate, I voted against increasing the debt ceiling, never requested a wasteful earmark, and supported permanently banning earmarks altogether. During his time in the House, Congressman Mack voted to increase the debt ceiling, requested earmarks, supported the ‘bridge to nowhere,’ and specifically rejected efforts to eliminate wasteful spending like an aquarium in Connecticut and tourism funding in Kentucky. The citizens of Florida need a senator who has a plan to get America back on track, not a career politician who continues to pile debt onto future generations.”

The team behind another Republican hopeful -- former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner -- also took aim at Mack, hammering him on a number of fronts from immigration to spending. Mack is a vocal opponent of bringing an Arizona-style immigration law to the Sunshine State.