Thread: Bud Chiles drops bid for Florida governor, backs Alex Sink

Sep 02, 2010

Bud Chiles drops bid for Florida governor, backs Alex Sink

10:21 AM

Democrat Alex Sink picked up the support of Bud Chiles, who ended his independent bid for Florida governor. CAPTIONBy Lynn Sladky, APBud Chiles announced he's giving up his independent bid for Florida governor and throwing his support behind Democrat Alex Sink.


Chiles, son of the late Florida governor and U.S. senator Lawton Chiles, said he didn't want to divide Democrats and inadvertently help Republican Rick Scott, who spent millions of his own fortune in a nasty primary campaign to get the GOP's nomination.

In a statement on his website, Chiles noted his bid "could have unintended consequences, dividing those who hold common goals and potentially offering a victory to those who may not have the best interests of Floridians at heart."

Scott, a former health care executive, pumped $39 million into his first political race to defeat state Attorney General Bill McCollum for the GOP nomination. An outspoken critic of President Obama's sweeping health care law, Scott also claimed Tea Party support in his upset primary victory.

Sink, the state's chief financial officer, is seeking to become the first woman governor of Florida. Karen Thurman, Florida Democratic Party chairwoman, thanked Chiles for his service and said voters can now be "fully united" behind Sink, whom she called a "new and different leader" who will bring jobs to the state.

The battle to be Florida's chief executive is one of 37 contests for governor this year. USA TODAY rates the Florida governor's race a tossup.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... overnor-/1

Scott, a former health care executive, pumped $39 million into his first political race

A lot of money in some of the governor races this year.
Meg Whitman is spending $150 MILLION of her own money in CA.,
and some more money from other people.