In Response to Ben Kirby on Rick Scott

Benjamin Kirby asked me if Rick Scott could win a second term as governor. The answer is yes.

I do not share Peter Schorsch's view that Dave Aronberg is a political star. Aronberg ran a shitty campaign against Dan Gelber and lost the primary. Any guy who aligns himself with Jeff Greene should be laughed out of all serious conversations for statewide office. I cite Aronberg to show how weak the Florida Democratic Party bench is. The party spent time grooming Alex Sink and she lost to Scott.

Scott's real motivation is to become president. Scott's attacks on President Obama and appearances on Fox News are setting the stage for a 2016 run. Serving as governor gives him the resume. That is why Scott doesn't care if he alienates everyone. I don't think Scott has the political skills to get elected president. Scott's ego will blind him to his fear or answering questions and lack of charisma.

Aronberg Rules Himself out as Next Florida Dem Chair

Peter Schorsch has been publicly lobbying for Dave Aronberg to become the new chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Aronberg texted Schorsch this message.

“I am not running for party chair. I care a lot about the future of our party and I intend to assist in other ways. But being party chair is not the best way I can serve — although I believe that dramatic changes are indeed necessary.”

I don't blame Aronberg. It could take the Florida Democratic Party ten years to be seriously competitive again. Aronberg would sink his political prospects if Democrats don't suddenly win. There will be people impatient after years of losses.

The Wolves Are Hungry For Karen Thurman

Florida State Sen. Jeremy Ring is calling for the resignation of Florida Democratic Party chair Karen Thurman.

“With the momentum of all the losses on the Democratic sides, there needs to be new leadership. Karen Thurman needs to resign. Immediately,” Ring, D-Margate, said of the Florida Democratic Party chairwoman early today.

There is more.

“Whether it was hundreds of more signs and volunteers and palm cards and all the precincts covered, I didn’t see any coordinated effort on the Democratic side yesterday,” Ring said.

Peter Schorsch made it clear to me on Twitter that he wants Thurman out. It will be interesting to see how Schorsch uses his blog to advocate his cause. I do disagree with Schorsch about having Dave Aronberg chair the FDP. I doubt Aronberg would take the job. Schorsch and other Democrats believe Aronberg is next star of the Florida Democrats. Aronberg would be best suited for a future statewide or Congressional race. At the FDP, Aronberg would be behind the scenes raising money, organizing and recruiting candidates.

Gelber Wins AG Primary

I haven't heard anything about Dave Aronberg conceding. Nevertheless, I am declaring Dan Gelber the winner of the Democratic Attorney General primary. Florida Divion of Election numbers.

Gelber - 289,784 (58.34%)

Aronberg - 206,911 (41.66%)

Gelber Up By 11 On Aronberg

According to the new Sunshine State News poll: Dan Gelber is up by 11 percent on opponent Dave Aronberg. The winner is the primary is the Democratic nominee for Florida Attorney General.

Likely voters

Gelber - 38 percent
Aronberg - 27 percent

Southeast Florida

Gelber - 51 percent
Aronberg - 26 percent

Male voters

Gelber - 41 percent
Aronberg - 23 percent

Female voters

Gelber - 35 percent
Aronberg 30 percent

Aronberg's best chance is to court female voters. Looks like it's time for Aronberg to bring sexy back.

Another thing worth noting is the Jeff Greene endorsement has appeared to have given Aronberg zero bounce. In fairness, the poll may have been conducted before the endorsement. I still cannot find anyone that can figure out why Greene endorsed Aronberg.

Jeff Greene and Dave Aronberg BFF

Here is a good reason for progressives to back Dan Gelber for Attorney General: Jeff Greene sent out a voting guide telling people to vote for Dave Aronberg. Anyone have any idea why Greene is supporting Aronberg? I'm sure there is an interesting back story. Feel free to email me.

Lunch with State Senator Dave Aronberg

Florida State Sen. Dave Aronberg is running for Attorney General. There will be a lunch at Mise En Place this Thursday. Check out the Facebook page for information.

Host: Democratic Professionals Council of Tampa Bay
Type: Meetings - Business Meeting
Network: Global
Price: $30.00

Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009
Time: 12:00pm - 1:15pm
Location: Mise En Place
Street: 442 West Kennedy Blvd., Suite 110
City/Town: Tampa, FL

Dave Aronberg at Fly Bar and Restaurant

Florida Attorney General candidate Dave Aronberg will be meeting voters at the Fly Bar and Restaurant. You can reserve a seat on the Facebook page. You can bring friends to the event.

Host: Tampa Bay Student Leaderhsip
Type: Party - Mixer
Network: Global

Date: Friday, July 24, 2009
Time: 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: The Fly Bar and Restaurant
Street: 1202 N Franklin St,
City/Town: Tampa, FL

Dan Gelber Official In Attorney General Race

In unsurprising news: Dan Gelber has announced he will run for Attorney General.

"The governor's decision made the Senate race very crowded, and at the same time it opened up every other statewide seat," said Gelber, a 48-year-old former prosecutor. "I want to be part of what I hope is a renewal for our state."

Translation: the Attorney General race was the only primary Gelber had a prayer in. The Democratic establishment is firmly behind Alex Sink and Kendrick Meek for the Senate and Governor races. Gelber will face Dave Aronberg in the Democratic primary. Neither candidate has state wide name recognition. A potential candidate with greater notoriety is Rod Smith. William March reports Smith will soon announce his intentions.

Gelber posted his announcement on Youtube. Gelber strikes the right tone and works in a good dig at Gov. Charlie Crist.

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.