Monday, May 18, 2009

Bill McCollum is no political amateur

Bill McCollum may eschew the label "professional politician," but there is no question that he is not an amateur when it comes to politics and elections.

The Republican McCollum, a former congressman and currently Florida's attorney general, will surprise no one later today when he kicks off the 14th campaign of his political career by announcing a bid for governor. McCollum's temptation for higher office became easier to give into after GOP Gov. Charlie Crist last week said he was running for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

McCollum will be the second - but maybe not the final - member of the Florida Cabinet to announce for governor. Last week, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, a Democrat, entered the race, and Agriculture Secretary Charles Bronson, a Republican, also has expressed interest.

McCollum first ran for office in 1980, when he was elected to the U.S. House from central Florida. His resume may be long, but the state's political demographics have changed considerably in the past 30 years. Whether McCollum is a good fit for the new Florida remains to be seen.

McCollum's bid for governor means other politicos will now line up to run for attorney general.

Stay tuned for the next dominos to fall ...

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