Florida Democratic Party officials say they won’t rule out naming another challenger to state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater in the wake of the party’s prohibitive nominee dropping out of the race. The party is searching for a replacement for Allie Braswell Jr., who stepped away from the race just days after entering it.
Last Thursday, the Central Florida Urban League President announced he’d mount a 2014 challenge to incumbent Florida CFO Atwater.
But, after the Florida Times-Union newspaper reported Braswell had filed for bankruptcy three times in two states and even defaulted on a payment plan, Braswell, Monday, announced he’s out of the race. Florida Democratic Party Spokesman Joshua Karp calls it the right decision, adding the party may be looking at others to fill Braswell’s spot on the ballot.
“I think that Mr. Braswell underestimated the challenges and difficulties of mounting a statewide campaign. I think that’s clear. And, I think that he’s made a very solid decision for his family and his supporters to withdraw from the race. We have been and we continue to look at other people interested for potentially running for CFO, and those continue to be ongoing conversations,” said Karp.
Braswell, a former Marine, had never run for public office before. In his going-away statement, he called himself a political outsider and said he misjudged how the campaign would affect his loved ones.
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Copyright 2013 WFSU
