What’s going on in Florida politics?

Florida republican bigwigs are lining up behind a loser if the election for Florida governor were held today. The state’s attorney general and former member of Congress, probably one of the most boring politicians you’ll ever come across, redneck Bill McCollum, seems to be losing the race to represent his Party in November in his bid to replace Charlie Crist as governor of Florida. Crist, not seeking reelection, is running for the U.S. Senate as an Independent.

The interesting thing about this whole really weird, but typical, Florida thing is that behind McCollum are persons like former governor Jeb Bush (the most popular republican in Florida), both Diaz-Balart brothers and a host of other republican big-shots. But a poll released today by the St. Pete Times and The Miami Herald has McCollum 10 points behind political newcomer Rick Scott. A very rich man, Scott has used millions of his own dollars and has managed to overtake a well-known republican name in Florida. This in spite of the fact that Scott has a questionable business record and a Medicare fraud scandal that follows him everywhere he goes.

Still, McCollum can’t seem to shake him. Which leads me to wonder what’s really going on in Florida politics… Or is it the whole country?

Has money now become the most important factor in any political race? Have we turned the corner and can now call us a plutocracy?

Stay tuned; the primary is less than two weeks away.

Alvaro F. Fernandez