It’s official, Part II: Tampa Bay’s Alex Sink will run for Florida governor in 2010
May 13, 2009 at 12:39 pm by Wayne Garcia
Having another guv from the Tampa Bay area (Alex Sink and her hubby, former gov candidate Bill McBride, still have a large lakefront home out in Thonotosassa in eastern Hillsborough) wouldn’t be a bad thing. Last one was Bob Martinez in the 1980s. And today, Sink, a former banker turned Florida’s chief financial officer, made it official that she will seek (and get) the Democratic nomination for governor in 2010 as Charlie Crist flees the mansion.
The Palm Beach Post has her full statement:
Floridians from Pensacola over to Jacksonville and all the way down to Key West are facing enormous challenges. Each and every day, the global financial crisis tests our families, our economy and our resolve.
In unique and challenging times like these, our state needs a new and different kind of leadership.
Thousands of Floridians have told me they need leaders committed to protecting the middle class, strengthening our economy and giving our families a fighting chance. As a businesswoman and working mom, I couldn’t agree more.
Before the people of Florida elected me their CFO, I spent nearly three decades in business – creating jobs and economic opportunity in communities all across our state.
During my short time in state government, a couple of things have become crystal clear: Tallahassee’s tired old ways of doing business just aren’t enough to answer the urgent new challenges we face. And a state government influenced by narrow special interests cannot put the best interests of everyday Floridians first.
Today, I’m announcing I will be a candidate for Governor of Florida in the November 2010 election, and put my business experience and know-how to work restoring our economy.
And, as Florida’s CFO, I’ll continue using my business experience to cut wasteful spending, crack down on financial fraud and reform state contracts.
For too long, we’ve had to tolerate a state government that puts playing politics ahead of helping families. Together, we can change all that, and give our state a fresh start.
Sink’s ties to the region could be a great advantage for her (the I-4 corridor’s voting power) and us (her ability to shape an agenda that could help Tampa Bay).
And she likely won’t face real competition for the nomination. Already today, Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman has signaled that the party considers the primary closed:
“To move Florida forward, it’s clear we need a leader who fights for our families, strengthens the middle class, and takes on the special interests.
“Floridians are cheering today now that Alex Sink has announced her candidacy for governor. As a businesswoman who delivers real results for the people of Florida, CFO Alex Sink is not only the Democrats’ strongest candidate but she’s the very best candidate for the job.
“As Florida’s CFO, Alex Sink is a proven leader who uses her three decades of business experience to get results. CFO Sink has protected consumers from financial fraud, cut down on no-bid contracts, and make government more efficient with our tax dollars.
“Now more than ever, we need Alex Sink’s leadership to guide Florida through the difficult challenges ahead and protect everyday Floridians from the special interests in Tallahassee. Our party is organized and energized to elect Alex Sink to the governor’s office, and in 2010, Sink will lead the next wave of Democratic success in our state.”
