Sink Expected to Announce Rod Smith as her Running Mate on Thursday

Reports are flying in that state CFO Alex Sink, the likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate, will announce on Thursday that she has picked former Sen. Rod Smith, who lost to former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2006, as her running mate for lieutenant governor. Smith, who has been the subject of speculation for weeks as the most likely choice to be Sinks understudy, hails from Alachua County in the northern part of the state. He also served two terms as a state attorney. Look for the Sink camp to push aspects of Smiths record including an A rating from the NRA during his time in the Senate and his backing of a bill requiring parental notification for teens looking to have an abortion.

There is one huge drawback for Sink picking Smith -- lack of a large geographic base, which could also be said for Sink herself. Smith took 41 percent against Davis back in 2006 and even carried four counties in South Florida, including Palm Beach and Miami-Dade. Davis did well in his home area, crushing Smith in Hillsborough and Pinellas countries and sweeping the populous counties on Interstate 4. Smith did well in North Florida -- but many of the counties in the northern part of the state that he carried had less than 5,000 Democrats voting in the primary. He also did well in parts of the state that traditionally back Republicans, such as the Panhandle and Jacksonville.

Look for whoever emerges in the bitter Republican gubernatorial primary to take all this into account when they choose their running mate. As for independent gubernatorial candidate Bud Chiles, this leaves him an opening andhe may be thinking of selecting a running mate who could help him pull votes in South Florida.