At a time when the Florida electorate is growing increasingly diverse, the Republican party is gearing up to field an all-male, all-white slate in 2010.

In contrast, the Democratic front-runners for the top of the ticket are U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a 42-year-old African American running for the U.S. Senate, and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink for governor, who would be the state's first female chief executive. A handful of Hispanic and Jewish Democrats are potentially in the mix for attorney general and chief financial officer.

''It's something I see as an advantage for Florida voters, that the Democratic ticket could end up looking like it represents Florida's population,'' said Ana Cruz, a top Meek advisor.

The Republican front-runners for statewide office include Gov. Charlie Crist for Senate, Attorney General Bill McCollum for governor, Senate President Jeff Atwater for chief financial officer and U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam for agriculture commissioner. Putnam is the only one of the GOP candidates under 50 years old.

To be sure, the Republican and Democratic lineups could change, with 18 months left before the 2010 election. What's more, a diverse ticket doesn't guarantee success.

Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who was better known than Sink, lost the Democratic primary for governor in 2002 to Sink's husband, Bill McBride.

When a black former state senator named Daryl Jones ran for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket in 2006, exit polls showed Crist garnered unprecedented black support for a statewide Republican.

But as Republicans brace to defend their dominance of state government in the age of President Barack Obama, some are concerned about the image of a ticket dominated by white men. About a half-dozen local Republican parties, from Palm Beach to Okaloosa, are protesting efforts by state and national Republican leaders to squeeze a 37-year-old Cuban American out of the Senate race so Crist can avoid a primary.

''The party needs to be careful. Marco Rubio is a good candidate,'' Pasco County GOP Chairman Bill Bunting said of the former Speaker of the Florida House. ``And aren't we trying to attract more Hispanic voters? I'm not sure what message it sends if people think we're making it unfair for the Hispanic candidate.''

No doubt there will be pressure on McCollum, a 64-year-old lawyer who spent two decades in Congress, to choose a running mate who doesn't look like the status quo.

CHANGING ELECTORATE

He and Crist will find the makeup of Florida's electorate has shifted dramatically since they ran statewide just two years ago. African-American voters have increased by 18 percent; Hispanic voters are up 22 percent.

At the same time, the Republican party has been shedding black voters, with four percent fewer in 2008 than in 2006. Obama's multimillion-dollar outreach in Florida helped the Democratic party boost black voter registration by 21 percent over the past two years.

Hispanic Republicans grew by 8 percent, while Hispanic Democrats increased their ranks 39 percent. Obama was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the Hispanic vote in Florida in decades, according to exit polls.

The Republican Party of Florida is trying to gain ground with black and Hispanic voters. It has established an office of minority outreach and leadership councils designed to maintain a constant presence in black and Hispanic communities throughout the state.

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