History does repeat from time to time.
Lawton Chiles retired from the United States Senate and from politics entirely in 1989.
However, supporters convinced him to run for Governor of Florida in 1990 against the unpopular incumbent Bob Martinez.
~wikipedia
Florida currently has a more unpopular incumbent in Rick Scott. While many observers are putting their money on the reincarnated Democrate Charlie Crist to perhaps run in 2014, whispers are getting louder about the possibility that Sen. Bill Nelson might ride to the rescue of his beloved state of Florida.
From a popular political bloggeryesterday:
Is U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson the real savior of the Florida Democratic Party? Some folks think that Nelson should run for governor.
So with that in mind, a few questions:
Would newly minted Democrat Charlie Crist run against Nelson in a Democratic primary?
Could Crist defeat Nelson?
Would Nelson be able to raise the money?
Would Crist stay out of the raise if Nelson got in?
Is there anybody else in the Democratic Party who could give Crist a serious run for the nomination?
These questions are being asked in Democratic circles - the answers will say a lot about the future of the Florida Democratic Party.
Blogger Brian Crowley then mentioned a recent article in the
Palm Beach Post:
“Right now Sen. Nelson cannot envision a circumstance under which he would run for governor. But he remains very concerned about the state’s future,” Nelson communications director Dan McLaughlin said.
Polling released this week showed Scott to be in serious trouble against Crist and other potential candidates, including 2010 rival Alex Sink:
A new Public Policy Polling survey set for release today finds that Governor Rick Scott still suffers from a low approval rating and trails a handful of potential Democratic opponents.
PPP puts Scott’s approval at 33 percent, compared with 57 percent disapproval.
Up against Charlie Crist, Scott is down 12 points, 52-40; against former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, Scott is down 7 points, 44-37; in a rematch with 2010 Alex Sink, he’s down 5 points, 45-40. Scott leads against former state Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, 42-36.
Based on the rumors about Nelson, I'd say we'll be seeing some polling in the near future that includes Florida's senior Senator. I'm not a fan of Charlie Crist, arguably a better choice than Rick Scott in the Statehouse, but I prefer my Dems to have a bit more of a Dem history. I'm not sure Alex Sink excites the electorate, although her name recognition would be improved since 2010. Sink suddenly lost her husband Bill McBride to a heart attack several months ago.
A Nelson run would create a strongly recognized Dem who could win again statewide, as well as appoint his own successor to the US Senate. I'm glad that it's at least a conversation at this point in time.