On Tuesday, Democrat Gwen Graham announced that she would run for governor of Florida. Graham, the daughter of ex-Sen. and former Gov. Bob Graham, was one of the few Democratic success stories of 2014 when she narrowly unseated GOP Rep. Steve Southerland in a conservative Tallahassee-area district. After court ordered redistricting turned her seat impossibly red, she decided not to seek re-election last year while quickly making it clear she was eyeing the governor’s office.
Graham has plenty of connections, and her 2014 win during the GOP wave proves she’s a tough campaigner. Graham is also likely to be the only credible female candidate in what may be a Democratic primary, and she immediately earned an endorsement from EMILY’s List. However, Graham is far from assured the nomination. During her brief stint in the House, Graham was one of the more conservative votes in the Democratic caucus. Graham voted against Nancy Pelosi in the speaker’s race, and she backed a GOP attempt to weaken Wall Street regulation and supported the Keystone pipeline. These votes could be an asset with swing voters in a general election, but Graham’s Democratic rivals may score points against her in the primary.
However, at this point there’s no clear frontrunner. Two other notable Democrats, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and businessman Chris King, are in; at this point, it’s unclear if either will have the resources to run a strong campaign in this huge and expensive state. Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is eyeing this race, while trial lawyer John Morgan is also considering, and both wealthy candidates certainly have their eccentricities.