Published reports throughout Florida say that come Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial front-runner Alex Sink will choose former Alachua County Prosecutor and legislator Rod Smith to be her running mate in November.
The Sink camp has said that a "campaign announcement" will come Thursday in West Palm Beach, not far from the Loxahatchee community where the 60-year-old Smith was raised.
Smith became known statewide in 2006, when he challenged former Tampa Congressman Jim Davis for the Democratic nomination for governor, before coming up short. That race had its high and low moments — the lowest probably being the fact that Smith was considered the candidate of Big Sugar, as U.S. Sugar Corp., Florida Crystals and their subsidiaries contributed at least $4 million in his losing effort to Davis.
According to published reports, Sink's short list over the past few months for Lieutenant Governor has included Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, Panama City Mayor Scott Clemons, Sarasota Representative Keith Fitzgerald, and somewhat oddly, Miami Beach state Senator Dan Gelber, who of course is running and hopes to become a colleague of Sink's at Cabinet meetings next year as Attorney General.
Smith was extremely engaging and personable on the campaign trail in '06, and in that respect could be a good contrast to Sink.
