Alex Sink is endorsing Colonel Ed Jany, the Democrat running with No Party Affiliation, in Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
“I urge every Pinellas resident who is fed up with the gridlock in Washington to join me in supporting the Colonel, so we can send a Marine to clean up Congress,” Sink writes in an email to her supporters.
Jany is challenging Republican David Jolly, who narrowly defeated Sink in a March special election prompted by the death of C.W. “Bill” Young.
Sink says that her late husband, Bill McBride, knew Colonel Jany “through their connection and love of the Marines” and that both she and McBride “recognized Ed’s commitment to service and unique leadership abilities.”
Jany is running as an independent because of a 2011 state law that requires candidates for all offices to be registered with the party they are running under 365 days prior to qualifying; the campaign said he registered as a Democrat “several months” ago.
Jany announced his candidacy after the party’s top recruits declined to run. Nevertheless, Jany is receiving the full backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
“Democrats are proud to support Colonel Jany and confident he will run an aggressive, successful campaign,” said DCCC Steve Israel. “Congressman David Jolly’s reckless Republican Congress is repelling Americans like Colonel Ed Jany who are fed up with the Republican agenda that hurts women, seniors and the middle class instead of focusing on solving challenges that matter most to Pinellas residents.”