Bland Office -- Not-So-Bland Candidates

Johnson's comment raises one of the oddities of this cobbled-together Cabinet office. To buffer the effect of campaign contributions from industries the CFO regulates, the Legislature gave a good deal of independence to the insurance and bank regulators who are part of the CFO's office. The heads of those offices are appointed and removed by the governor and Cabinet, not just by the CFO, for example. This was a compromise with Comptroller Milligan, who thought the handling of state finances and the regulation of key industries should be entirely separate.

So here we are, these three candidates plus an unknown, Republican Milt Bauguess, who owns a financial company in Tallahassee. Bauguess brings no political organization or fund-raising potency, just the good intentions of a newcomer. There are no runoffs anymore, so whoever has the most votes wins the primary.

The differences aren't really so subtle. Sure, they all talk about financial integrity and better monitoring of outsourcing. They all say they'll be strong advocates for consumers in insurance regulation (a "consumer advocate" works for them, even if the regulatory decisions are made independently). But the outlooks they emphasize distinguish them.

Johnson talks about the "secret handshake" over the insurance legislation. He complains that insurance companies have abandoned the property-casualty market because they've lost money and yet "make billions" from Floridians in other lines of insurance. He would try to require any company doing business here to sell property and casualty as well. Both Lee and Sink say that's impractical. Lee adds, "Hurricanes are the bad guy."

Even to Democratic audiences, Sink speaks of being open and non-partisan. "People are shocked that we elect the position," she says.

Lee says it's a "very partisan" position. "I like to see institutions of government run in a bipartisan fashion," he says. "But there's nothing non-partisan about this job." He talks about filling the "leadership vacuum" after Bush leaves office. "The Cabinet is going to be elevated, the Legislature is going to be elevated, the role of the CFO, and which party holds that office, will matter."

Lee's obviously betting that Florida really is a "red" state and more voters ultimately will prefer a Republican to a Democrat. Johnson wants conservative voters to get him through the primary (bolstered by a name shared with a famous Yankees pitcher), and he'll worry later about the Democratic candidate. Sink will be just down the ballot from Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, facing a so-far-underwhelming challenge from Republican Katherine Harris. Sink's non-partisan appeal is a bet that the state is not "red" or "blue" but "purple."

The candidates may actually feel black and blue. But they're doing their darndest to make a campaign for an obscure office more interesting.

Tags: Politics & Law, Around Florida, Government/Politics & Law