As she gears up for her re-election campaign, Attorney General Pam Bondi is considered a future standard-bearer for the state GOP.
However, as Lloyd Dunkelberger of the HTPolitics blog reports, the beginning might not be what Bondi intended. She is currently running defense for asking Gov. Scott to delay a death row execution so she can attend a significant “hometown fundraiser” in Tampa Tuesday.
Bondi did call the request a “mistake.”
Without a major contender for her re-election, it may be too soon to tell how this blunder will play out for Bondi politically.
On Sept. 27, Bondi will join two other rising Republican stars launching re-election bids — Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater — at the Sarasota Republican Party’s Statesman of the Year honoring Fox commentator Sean Hannity. Atwater amassed nearly $200,000 in campaign contributions so far, and Putnam has obtained nearly $600,000 for his re-election up to July 1.
With three heavyweight Republicans on the ballot, as well as Scott as top of the ticket, the GOP appears strong. Only one Democrat holds a leading statewide seat — U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. If Scott should fail in 2014, the trio of names would be available to lead the party.
