Less than a week after filing papers to run, former North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns announced at Wednesdays Democracy for America meeting in Coral Gables that he is ending his campaign for the U.S. Senate and will instead run for the state Senate seat that Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, is vacating to run for attorney general.
With real estate billionaire Jeff Greene announcing on Friday that he would enter the Democratic primary for the Senate, Burns and his team said the dynamics of the contest had changed and that they would not be able to compete on a financial level. For his U.S. Senate bid, Burns raised more than $20,000 and he loaned it $70,000 in personal money.
With Burns now exiting the race, the Democratic primary field consists of Greene, Congressman Kendrick Meek and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre.
Just as he did when running for the U.S. Senate, Burns intends to continue campaigning against offshore drilling and points to the recent disaster in the Gulf of why he needs to continue to fight.
One simple spill is devastating Florida and Louisiana, and this wasnt a big spill, said Burns.
Burns gave the recently ended legislative session low marks. It was a terrible session, he said.
"This year's session, the legislature made unprecedented assaults on civil rights, the environment, teachers, women and decency in general, said Burns. I hope to earn the support of my district so I can go to Tallahassee and represent them, continuing to standing up against off shore drilling and fighting for our students, workers and the preservation of our beautiful state."
Burns made no apologies for his 18-month campaign for the U.S. Senate. He called it a learning experience and talked about the thousands of Floridians he met.
"I don't regret a single day of it, said Burns. I got to travel all over this state, visiting more than 50 counties, meeting and listening to Floridians from all walks of life. I learned a great deal about the people of this state and about myself. I believe the experience will make me a better state senator and a better person."
The same problems in Miami-Dade are the same problems in Gainesville and across the state, added Burns.
Ferre praised Burns and the contributions he made to the contest Wednesday. The former Miami mayor agreed with Burns that Greene entering the contest changes the dynamics, though Ferre intends to stay in the race.
The nominee is going to be determined in the next three and a half months by issues and how we present ourselves, said Ferre.
Ferre said that most Floridians still knew little about himself, Greene and Meek. The truth is the whole field is totally unknown, said Ferre.
Ferre said that voters not being familiar with the field makes the Democratic primary wide open.
Florida has a history of voting for unknown candidates with ideas instead of money, said Ferre. He said that the first political victories of Claude Kirk, Lawton Chiles, Bob Graham and Reubin Askew served as proof of this phenomenon in Florida politics.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859.
