Even as Democrats pledged at their annual Jefferson-Jackson fundraising dinner this past weekend to fight for President Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelsons re-elections in 2012, some were already beginning to size up contenders for the partys gubernatorial nod in 2014.
Gov. Rick Scotts popularity has sagged to 29 percent. And some Democrats are already looking at a rematch of the 2010 election a few months after a Democratic-leaning polling firm found former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink would win the election by 19 points if it had been held in March.
If Alex runs, Alex is the front-runner, said Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist who advised Sink on her run for the governors mansion last year.
Sink said she is involved now with other ventures, including her work setting up a nonprofit policy organization. But she didnt rule out a rematch with Scott, who edged her by less than 62,000 votes in a contentious 2010 election in which the former CFO ran into the strong national winds blowing against Democrats.
When the time comes, a couple of years from now, Ill evaluate the race, Sink said.
But some Democrats are still skeptical of re-running Sink, whose husband, Bill McBride, also lost to Gov. Jeb Bush in 2002.
Im not sure, because weve heard the McBride story and weve heard the Sink story, and neither one of them sold, said Jon Ausman, a suspended member of the Florida Democratic Partys executive committee.
A current and a former lawmaker are also getting mentioned: former Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach and Sen. Jeremy Ring of Margate. Neither ruled out the chance of taking on Scott in 2014, though both also stressed the three years between now and the next election.
I love public service, and I cant stand what this guys doing to this state I care about, Gelber said.
The former senator recently wrote a blog post comparing Scott to Lex Luthor and saying the governors 29 percent approval rating is too generous. But Gelber, who ran for attorney general against Pam Bondi in the 2010 campaign, shied away from suggestions that he was actively considering whether to make a bid for the states highest office.
Its just too early to start thinking about jumping into races when the election is so far away, he said.
Ring was also circumspect about whether he would run for governor.
One day, if timing and opportunity meet each other, maybe. ... Im not getting serious about anything, thats for sure. And I cant. Three years out, the thought of getting serious, thats really foolish, Ring said.
Ring raised the possibility of a self-funded dark horse in the Democratic primary in 2014 -- but the description of that candidate was close to one of himself, a millionaire and former executive at Yahoo!
I dont want to say they have the same policies as Rick Scott, but maybe they have the same profile, Ring said. Theyve made a lot of money, theyre in the private sector, people dont know who they are, and they come out of nowhere.
And speculation remains strong that former Gov. Charlie Crist could make a bid for his old seat as a Democrat, though Crist has only sporadically weighed in on political issues since he left office.
Never underestimate Charlie Crists ability to shake things up, Schale said.
During his time in office -- particularly after he bolted the GOP to run for the U.S. Senate as an independent -- Crist was popular among Democrats. In the last Quinnipiac University poll before the November elections, Crists favorability rating among Democrats was 62 percent, higher than it was among Republicans or independents and just 1 point shy of the partys official U.S. Senate nominee, then-Congressman Kendrick Meek.
But he was popular among Democrats when he was a Republican who vetoed things that Democrats didnt like, Schale said. Its a totally different story when he comes over here.
Other names floating around include current Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, a former House member.
Any of them, though, could face a tough task in taking down even an unpopular Scott. But Schale also said they wouldnt confront the same headwind Sink faced in 2010, as Democrats were wiped out virtually across the board in Florida.
I think the odds of the political environment being that bad for either party in 2014 are pretty slim, Schale said. But it all depends. And, really, the guy who controls the outcome of that is Rick Scott. Governors in Florida tend to get re-elected.
