What seemed to be a clearing path for the Republican Party to hang onto the governor's mansion in Florida just got a little more complicated:
The former hospital mogul behind early astroturfing efforts to oppose Democratic health care reform is hoping to become Florida's next governor.
Millionaire businessman Rick Scott, the founder of Conservatives For Patients' Rights, launched his bid today for the Republican gubernatorial nomination promising to "to lead the state in a new, conservative direction and into a prosperous future."
Up until this point, the road to the GOP nomination seemed reasonably clear for state Attorney General Bill McCollum. McCollum, a former Orlando-area Congressman who was best know nationally for his losing bid for the Senate a decade ago, had a large lead in both fundraising and polling over state legislator Paula Dockery. Furthermore, he also enjoyed a growing lead over state CFO Alex Sink, the likely Democratic nominee.
Sink's campaign, for what it is worth, has had its detractors, but she gets an undeniable boost from this announcement. Scott has made it quite clear that he is not going to mince words in his assault on the frontrunner, Bill McCollum (emphasis mine):
“Florida needs a conservative who is not afraid to upset the apple cart, an outsider who is not part of the political establishment, and a businessman who knows how to create jobs, cut costs, balance budgets, and bring new ideas to old problems."
Scott's business background, now that he is seeking a career in elective politics, is going to be front and center. Before launching his anti-HCR pressure group (Conservatives for Patients Rights, or CPR), he was a major player in the hospital industry. As Think Progress noted earlier today, there is no shortage of material for Scott's political opponents to mine from his business experience.