Gwen Graham made Politico’s Top 50 Politicos to Watch, released Friday, marking the 50-year-old school district attorney and mother of three as a strong contender for overtaking Republican congressional incumbent Steve Southerland in 2014 — and is seen as a clear Democratic Party favorite against former state Sen. Al Lawson.
This is Graham’s first run for office, but as POLITICO notes, she is no stranger to the campaign trail. She grew up with politics as the daughter of Florida’s much loved three-term former senator, and aided Howard Dean and John Kerry in their presidential bids after her father dropped out of the race.
Graham believes that North Florida is full of “Graham Democrats” who yearn for the type of leadership that her father represented. Graham has the support of EMILY’s list as well as likely backing from former Gov. Charlie Crist.
Southerland has already been named among the most vulnerable Republicans in the nation, and has had a less than stellar fundraising quarter.
