With the 2010 election over, candidates for the Republican Party of Florida's chairmanship are already lining up to lead the Party to victory in 2012.
In January, John Thrasher will finish out his term as RPOF chairman. It's a seat he took only to fill in for Jim Greer, who was forced out of the position by angry Republican Executive Committee members and subsequently arrested, then charged with attempting to defraud the state Party.
From the beginning, Thrasher made it clear he had no intentions of running for re-election as Party chair. He also has no plans to endorse anyone for the job.
"He came in as a senior statesman to repair the Party and make sure we had a successful election," said RPOF spokesperson Dan Conston. "And of course, we enjoyed a lot of success last Tuesday."
With the dust settling from last week's races, potential candidates for RPOF chairman are starting to emerge.
Near the end of a letter to an REC member, the Republican chairman of Palm Beach County, Sid Dinerstein, included one sentence tipping off his plans.
"Soon I will announce my intention to run for chairman of the Republican Party of Florida," he said. "Something I cannot do if I am not re-elected."
If Dinerstein is re-elected chairman in Palm Beach County in December, he'll be qualified to run for the state seat in January.
To run for the two-year post, the Party requires membership in the state GOP'sexecutive committee. Three committee members are allowed from each county -- the county chairman, the state committeeman and the state committeewoman.
Dinerstein said he will make his announcement official on Friday.
"I'm running because I have a vision," he said in a phone interview, "Not just because it might be a next step. We have an opportunity to take the best practices of RECs across the state and institutionalize them."
The way Dinerstein sees it, he doesn't want to be just a good fund-raiser and lead the fight against Democrats. His plan is to put practices in place that will be in effect throughout the next several Party chairmen, long after he's gone.
Dinerstein says he wants to beef up e-mail lists for the smaller counties, and organize volunteers at precincts with spreadsheets detailing all the Republicans in the county who are likely to vote and who might need some encouragement.
"When you live in the private sector, this stuff we're talking about is ABC, but when you're in the volunteer or government sector," he said, "it's leading edge for them."
A spokesman for Rick Scott, Brian Burgess, responded to an email suggesting the Governor-elect will not weigh in on the chairman's race.
"Governor-elect Scott knows the importance of having the right person leading the Republican Party of Florida," said Burgess. "But his primary focus is on a smooth transition so that he can hit the ground running, create jobs and implement his 777 plan."
Traditionally, the incoming governor has a lot of sway among the voting body of the REC, but this year isn't a normal year.
The old governor-chairman relationship between Crist and Greer is still raw on REC members' minds, and party insiders say they expected Scott to stay out of the race and let REC members pick one of their own.
Sharon Day, Republican National Committee secretary, says with Rick Scott it will be a different relationship than the Party has had in the past.
"In conversations I had with him about it," she said, "he indicated he's going to let the Party be the Party and he's going to govern and be the best governor he can."
While she's undecided, Day is also considering a run for RPOF chairwoman and already enjoys good name-recognition and relationships with REC members across the state. If she chooses to run, she'll join several other GOP activists in the state who have already announced, or like her, are considering a candidacy.
That list includes RPOF Vice Chairwoman Deborah Cox Roush of Hillsborough County, Pinellas County Republican State Committeeman Tony DiMatteo and Sarasota County GOP Chariman Joe Gruters, among others.
"There are a lot of choices," Day said. "And each one has their own style."
Conston says it's too early to tell who will rise to the top as the campaigns get under way.
The RPOF elections are scheduled for Jan. 15.
Lane Wright can be reached at lane@sunshinestatenews.com or at 561-247-1063.
