The Crowded Attorney General Race

The Florida Democratic primary for Attorney General is getting interesting. State Sen. Dave Aronberg announced he will run. Aronberg worked as an Assistant Attorney General under Bob Butterworth.

"Public safety is not some political theme to me. It is a passion. The people of this state deserve a true watchdog who will fight to protect them everyday - that's exactly what I will be," said Sen. Aronberg. "Corporations have their attorneys, and criminals have their attorneys. I will be the people's attorney," said Sen. Aronberg. "And as your Attorney General, I have one message for those who seek to commit crimes or fraud against our citizens: if you target Floridians, the state will target you."

Sen. Dan Gelber recently dropped out of the United States Senate race. Gelber is hinting at running against Aronberg.

"I have been overwhelmed by emails, phone calls and posts on my blog supporting my call for unity and urging me to consider running for Attorney General," Gelber said in a statement. "After spending nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor, the job of Attorney General is a place where I believe I can best serve our state. ... My hope was that there would be time for all of us to be thoughtful and to unify, but given Senator Aronberg's decision, I will my announce my plans soon."

The biggest name that has not announced his intentions is Rod Smith. Smith ran for Governor in 2006 and procecuted serial killer Danny Rolling. Smith is a adjunct law professor at the University of Florida's Levin College of Law and a partner at Avera & Smith Law Firm. Smith has a history of representing unions. Which will help him with the Democratic base. The question is does Smith want the job?

The Buzz reports Smith is looking "seriously at running for attorney general and not considering any other race." Smith would have prefered to enter the race with no primary challenger. The question is does Aronberg's and Gelber's intentions make the Attorney General race less appealing for Smith?

From a personal perspective, a crowded race is more interesting and forces the candidates to discuss the issues. Aronberg is the only official candidate. However, I have no problems with a three way race. I sure FDP chair Karen Thurman doesn't share my opinion.

Update: Gelber sent this email out to supporters.

A few days ago I receded from the U.S. Senate race in order to avoid the circular firing squad that has characterized too many past Democratic efforts. My hope was that with the opening up of every cabinet office (for the first time in 140 years [sic]) that Democratic hopefuls – like me -- would take a step back to give all of us time to reach a thoughtful judgment on how best to unify our party in a year when real change is finally within reach.

In fact, over the last few weeks many of the potential candidates had been in dialogue with each other and with others hoping to avoid the type of divisions that damage our ability to present a winning slate in November. I am grateful to have heard that so many of you share my concern and were also hopeful that our party could break free of its past missteps.

This afternoon my friend Dave Aronberg let me know that he was not waiting any longer and announced his candidacy for Attorney General. While I would have preferred a different timeline, I expect to be making my own announcement of my intentions within a few days. While part of me worries that this is déjà vu all over again, I am still optimistic that ultimately we will be able to deliver the change Floridians so desperately need.

Update: Smith is friends with Aronberg. Smith says he is still undecided on if he will run.