If you are a politician in Pinellas County and your name HAS NOT been floated as a possible candidate for the CD 13 Special Election, you need to ask yourself what you are doing wrong (or better yet, who handles your public relations).
The latest name to emerge as a possible candidate is Rep. Larry Ahern.
A senior adviser to Ahern says that the second-term House member and his wife and political partner, Maureen, are currently engaged in a serious discussion about whether to pull the trigger on a run for Congress?
What does Ahern bring to the table? Well, he’s won two elections in legislative districts that generally reflect the partisan split of CD 13. He’s also a rock-ribbed conservative who will draw support from the right wing of the Pinellas GOP. In a multi-way primary, Ahern could count on a solid base of support while the more moderate candidates scramble for center-right voters.
Of course, once Ahern tacks to the right to win the primary, he might find it difficult to tack back to the center to defeat Alex Sink, but he can worry about that after the primary.
Right now, Ahern’s candidacy is an intriguing possibility.
