Former Socialist Brian Moore Running for Governor of Florida as a Democrat

Brian Moore, the Socialist Party’s 2008 candidate for President, has filed to run for Governor of Florida as a Democrat.

Moore has sought statewide office in Florida before, running as a “No Party” candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006. He’s also made several runs for Congress in South Florida, both as an independent and also as a Democrat.

State CFO Alex Sink would have advanced directly to the general election as the Democratic nominee had Moore not filed paperwork this morning. Now she will have a primary on August 24.

Another potential Democratic candidate, Darrin McGillis, decided last night that he would not file his paperwork. His signature issue had been gay marriage, and he had repeatedly blasted Alex Sink for refusing to support it. McGillis said he was not sure who he would vote for now, but was leaning towards backing independent candidate Bud Chiles in November.

When reached for comment this morning by the Jacksonville Observer, Moore stated: “I’m running to give rank-and-file Democratic voters of Florida a say in deciding who the next governor should be. I’m offering them a choice between a citizen-activist and a Wall Street banker, the same folks who plunged this great state into a seemingly never-ending financial crisis. As Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Alex Sink has been more concerned with counting paper clips than solving the state’s deepening fiscal crisis.”

“Floridians deserve a candidate for governor who’s concerned about their pocketbook issues,” Moore concluded.

It’s not clear how actively the one-time Socialist will campaign for the office, but he’s likely to draw a significant protest vote among those Democrats who feel Sink is not liberal enough for their taste.

Alex Sink was elected Florida State CFO in 2006 and is a former president of Florida Operations at Bank of America. Her husband, Bill McBride, was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor in 2002 against Jeb Bush.

(originally published by The Jacksonville Observer)