Casting himself as a consumer advocate

and a protege of popular former Democratic attorney general Bob Butterworth, state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, announced today he’ll run for attorney general in 2010.

Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican, is running for governor in 2010. Several Democrats and Republicans have been eyeing his job.

“I have been fighting for consumers all my life,” Aronberg said in an interview.

Aronberg, who could face a tough Democratic primary for the job, highlighted his work as an assistant attorney general under Butterworth, who left office in 2002 because of term limits.

“I learned from the best…We need to return to the days of Bob Butterworth, of an Attorney General who stands up for consumers,” Aronberg said.

State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, and former Democratic state Sen. Rod Smith have also expressed interest in running for the state’s top legal job. The three have had extensive talks, including two conference calls moderated by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, to try to avoid a primary.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and other Republicans are considering the attorney general’s race as well.

Aronberg’s announcement sets off a scramble for his Senate seat, which extends from Palm Beach County to Lee County.

Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, a Republican, said she will run for the Senate seat. Another Republican, former state Rep. Sharon Merchant, said it’s “highly likely” she’ll run.

Democratic state Rep. Joseph Abruzzo of Wellington, mentioned by many Democrats as a potential Senate candidate, announced last month he plans to seek reelection to his state House seat in 2010.

Tags: attorney general, Dan Gelber, Lizbeth Benacquisto, Rod Smith, Sharon Merchant

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 4th, 2009 at 1:17 pm and is filed under 2010 campaigns, Bill McCollum, Dave Aronberg, Democrats. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.