As she tries to get her gubernatorial campaign off life support, Nan Rich is trying to win over liberal Democrats by playing up her opposition to Floridas Stand Your Ground law. Theres only one problem: she voted for the law in 2005 when she served in the state Senate.
The Stand Your Ground law is broken. Until its fixed, justice will never be fully served in Florida courts, Rich wrote in a campaign email last week. The law passed the state Senate unanimously, but its clear now that the intent of the law -- to protect the rights of those in danger of death or great bodily harm -- has been twisted and is being misapplied.
While her email does not mention her support of Stand Your Ground in 2005, Rich went on to attack Rick Scott and Charlie Crist on the issue.
Three years ago, then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist was urged to call a special session of the Legislature to fix this flawed law, Rich wrote. He did nothing. This week, Governor Rick Scott announced that he, too, would not call a special session.Where is the leadership?
Crist is not the only potential Democrat gubernatorial candidate Rich has bashed on Stand Your Ground. On Monday night, speaking to the press in Tampa, while admitting she once backed Stand Your Ground, Rich slapped Bill Nelson around for saying it was a state issue and he would not advise Tallahassee on how to handle it. Nelson, currently serving in the U.S. Senate, has not fully closed the door on running against Scott.
In her email on Friday and speaking to the media on Monday, Rich promised to call a special session of the Legislature to deal with Stand Your Ground if she becomes governor. But that seems increasingly unlikely. While she has been in the race for more than a year, Rich has gone nowhere. Richs opposition to Stand Your Ground is the latest in a series of her loudly playing up her liberal positions to appeal to Democratic primary voters. None of her efforts, including her loud support for same-sex marriage two weeks ago, seems to be working.
Despite a raised profile in recent months, Richs fundraising continues to be pathetic. After declaring her candidacy last April, Rich has brought in less than $160,500 and has less than $60,000 on hand. She is also starting to go through her campaign funds at an alarming pace.
Rich can shift her ground on Stand Your Ground all she wants as she tries to get some love from liberal Democrats. None of her other efforts to court them has helped much. With Crist, Nelson and Alex Sink still thinking about entering the race, Rich continues to stumble in building support despite having the field all to herself.
Floridas Stand Your Ground law passed in 2005 after being approved unanimously in the Senate and on a 9420 vote in the House.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
