Republican McCollum announces campaign for governor
by Michael C. Bender | May 18th, 2009
Republican Bill McCollum this morning announced he’d run for governor in 2010, becoming Florida’s third statewide official in the past week to decline a re-election bid.
McCollum, the state’s attorney general, follows Democratic state CFO Alex Sink into the race to replace Republican Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist said Tuesday he’d run for U.S. Senate. All three candidates were up for re-election in 2010.
McCollum, 64, made his announcement today at the Embassy Suites in downtown Orlando, near his hometown. He’s the only one of the three to have a formal press conference.
Loading ...McCollum, who spent 20 years in the U.S. House, could face a primary challenge from Charles Bronson, the state’s agriculture commissioner who must resign in 2010 due to term limits. A source said Bronson was still weighing a campaign but expected to make an announcement this week. (More on the primary possibilities here.)
But this morning, McCollum was joined by a list of Republican leaders, including Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach and House Speaker Larry Cretul of Ocala and his expected successors: Dean Cannon of Winter Park, Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel and Chris Dorworth of Lake Mary.
Other Republicans joining McCollum this morning were U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan; Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp; state Sens. Mike Haridopolos and Victor Crist; state Reps. Janet Atkins, Ellyn Bogdanoff, Steve Crisafulli, Nick Thompson and Ritch Workman.
County party activists at the announcement included Beth Kigel of Palm Beach; Reece Parrish of St. Lucie; Chip LaMarca of Broward; Lew Oliver of Orange; John Falconetti of Duval and Scott Glover of Brevard.
RPOF Chairman Jim Greer said he planned to take the unusual step of seeking a party endorsement for McCollum he receives a challenge.
“We need to be unified and put all our resources toward making sure a Republican is elected governor in 2010,” Greer said.
Democrats immediately pasted McCollum as a career politician cozy with special interests (See the press release here).
McCollum is a former a Navy judge advocate and was one of the congressional managers of the impeachment proceeding of former President Clinton.
This will be his third statewide campaign. He lost bids for U.S. Senate in 2000 and 2004, but defeated Democrat Skip Campbell for attorney general in 2006.
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May 18th, 2009 at 11:23 am
[...] Bill McCollum announcing his campaign for [...]
May 18th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
So here comes another opportunist who has never found an elected office he didn’t like. Crist is bailing out and those elected beneath him are doing the same. Isn’t it time to find some new people? No can do since the common man can’t run a campaign on company (taxpayer) time. Money talks and fellow citizens, we are getting our moneys worth.
May 19th, 2009 at 7:43 am
When has Crist done anything to save Florida? If you look at what all he has did for Waste Managment, he has did more for them. Millions just like Jeb Bush in Grant Money. He even has given Millions to a fake company called Gulf Coast Energy to open a bio fuel plant in Mossy Head Florida, Walton County, it is not here nor said the county it will it ever be here. Board members of this company own Waste Management and one of those board member a man named Pruitt seems to be a Alabama white race leader or was accourding to the internet. Didnt I read where a friend of Crist named Pruitt is getting out of office here in Florida? Wonder if they are related? Oh well it was only 7 million dollars of tax payers money but 60 more was planned. I aaked this McCollum to help get this money back he would not.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Where was this picture taken, somewhere is a cold climate? All dark and dull suits, just like McCullom.
Go Charlie Bronson!