Most politicians would love to be in Jeff Atwater’s and Adam Putnam’s shoes this year. Both Cabinet officials are on the ballot this year and face third-string, at best, Democrat challengers, letting them use 2014 to work on building for the future.
Democrats had high hopes for Allie Braswell last year when he first jumped in the CFO race against Atwater. But only a few days after getting in, Braswell pulled out as the media reported his numerous bankruptcies. Despite Allison Tant’s promises to find credible candidates for every Cabinet race, only William Rankin, a businessman with a less-than-savory past, arose as a challenger for Atwater. But Atwater has nothing to fear from the Democrats this year, even after flirting with getting out of politics when he was in the running for the FAU presidency.
Putnam also has to like his chances in 2014. The only Democrat challenging him so far is Thad Hamilton who, despite serving on the Broward County Soil/Water Commission, went nowhere in 2010. Like Rankin, Hamilton has shown a spectacular knack for not being able to raise enough money to be competitive at the state level.
By not giving either of these Republicans serious competition, Democrats could be inadvertently…
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