Pam Bondi continues to carve out a role for herself as the most conservative Republican holding statewide office in Florida.
In recent weeks, Bondi has taken the lead in taking on Barack Obamas executive action offering amnesty for illegal aliens. Bondi also appealed a federal decision striking down the state constitutional amendment recognizing only traditional marriage in Florida, taking matters to the Supreme Court.
Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media are writing Bondi off as a loser as the Supreme Court refused to take up her appeal. Same-sex marriage will now be headed to Florida in the first week of the new year.
But Bondi was doing her job: defending the Florida Constitution. More than 60 percent of voters backed a constitutional amendment recognizing only traditional marriage in 2008, the same year Floridians helped put Barack Obama in the White House.
If same-sex marriage was as popular as liberals maintain it is in Florida, they could have attempted to overturn the 2008 amendment with one of their own. Charlie Crist, whose support for the 2008 amendment proved instrumental in passing it, turned against it in his gubernatorial campaign this year and came up short to Rick Scott.
The left is now discounting Bondis chances for higher office but that is way too premature. Bondi had a credible Democratic opponent this year, something that fellow Cabinet Republicans like Jeff Atwater and Adam Putnam couldnt say. Despite George Sheldons credentials, Bondi crushed him at the polls.
Bondi certainly has her political flaws, including an often hyperactive speaking style. But she is claiming the political right, the path to victory in statewide Republican primaries. Bondi proved that against Jeff Kottkamp and Holly Benson in 2010, the same year Scott did the same thing to Bill McCollum, and Marco Rubio chased Crist out of the GOP.
To be sure, Bondi doesnt come off as the most ambitious Florida Republican. Atwater and Putnam garner far more buzz as future gubernatorial candidates than Bondi does. But Bondi could have her chances down the road. Rubio might not run for a second term in the Senate while Bill Nelson will be 76 in 2018 when he will be up for a fourth term.
A proven winner at the state level who is increasingly claiming conservatives, Bondi would be a top contender for a Senate seat. Democrats will claim Bondi is too conservative for Florida -- in the same way as Crist, Sheldon, Alex Sink, Dan Gelber, Kendrick Meek, Jim Davis, Betty Castor, Bill McBride and a whole generation of Florida Democrats who lost general elections said about their Republican opponents.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
