Hot campaign brews in Florida, but not the one you think (It's the Governor's race, y'all.)

[seafan]

Hot campaign brews in Florida, but not the one you think

By Jeremy Wallace
April 12, 2009

A rare wide-open race for U.S. Senate in Florida was supposed to create one of the most competitive elections in decades.

And it looks like it will, but not for Senate.

Instead, with Gov. Charlie Crist now an all-but-confirmed candidate for Senate, the quickly developing race is for governor.

At least six Republicans and the fastest rising star in the state Democratic Party are now either running for governor or headed in that direction if Crist announces he will seek Mel Martinez's vacant Senate seat next year.

The oddity of the campaign will be fully on display Tuesday morning in Tallahassee at a meeting of the Florida Cabinet, which threatens to be mistaken for a gubernatorial candidates' forum. Flanking Crist will be the three Cabinet members who may be angling to replace him -- Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, a Democrat, and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson and Attorney General Bill McCollum.

"That should make Cabinet meetings quite an affair," said Adam Goodman, a Republican campaign strategist.

Beyond that trio, other prominent candidates likely to jump in include U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and former House Speaker Marco Rubio of Miami. Dark-horse contenders include Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, both Republicans.

Crist will announce his decision soon after the legislative session ends May 1.

.....

IMHO, The Governor's race will be the one to watch, not the Senate.


I have been hoping since last year that Sink will be elected Florida's next Governor. She has the smarts, the skills for an effective chief executive and the ability to be open-minded and fair. We may still be saddled with a Republican-controlled Legislature in 2010, but their power will be weakened, and term limits are our ongoing ally.


As I see it, getting back control of the Governor's Office, after 12 miserable Republican years, will certainly begin to guide Florida's sorry state of affairs back to firmer footing; meanwhile, we vote out as many ensconced right wingers as we can from the Legislature. Their arrogant Jeb Bush ideology, using the powers of the State to pay off their business cronies, and their aversion to anything to help regular citizens are primary reasons Florida is in such disgrace. And Jeb Bush ideological heirs need not apply.




Florida CFO Alex Sink (AP)



Here's to a great campaign, CFO Sink. Florida needs you now.

[FLAprogressive]

1. I hope Vern runs....he'd get creamed!

[saltpoint]

2. Rick Baker ran Jeb Bush's campaign against Lawton Chiles. Chiles held

on to beat Jeb, but it was a narrow victory.

Vern Buchanan. My god. He stole an election from Christine Jennings and now he wants to be Governor? O my god.

I appreciate this post. It focuses us on what looks like a real barn-burner of a gubernatorial race down in Florida.

[FLAprogressive]

4. Vern has delusions of grandeur

[saltpoint]

5. He must have delusions of grandeur. He's one of the most repellent

Republicans ever, and that's saying something.

[Ian David]

3. Gives new meaning to the song, "Sink, Florida, Sink!"

Sink, Florida, Sink (Acoustic version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6VkX0wgiwY