U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham announces potential run for Florida governor

U.S. Rep Gwen Graham put an end to speculation Thursday and announced that she won't seek reelection to Congress but is considering seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018.

Graham of Tallahassee, who is in her first term in Congress, faced a tough reelection after her district was reconfigured to be less favorable for Democrats under a court-ordered redistricting plan.

"State goverrnment is just dysfunctional and this causes me to rethink how I can best serve the people of North Florida and our state. Floridians are hungry for new leadership and I’m so excited to tell you first I’m seriously considering running for governor in 2018," Graham said in a news release and video. She said the new map divided her district into "two partisan districts" and she promises to bring "common sense back to Tallahassee."

Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, is term-limited so he can't run for reelection. Republicans considering the 2018 race include Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, whose political action committee raised more than $4 million in one year. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has also been rumored to be considering seeking the nomination, although he denied that a couple days after he lost the Florida presidential primary.

In 2014, Graham defeated incumbent Republican Congressman　Steve Southerland　in the Panhandle-based district with heavy support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which targeted the district.

Graham, the daughter of former Democratic U.S. Sen. and Gov. Bob Graham, had been considered a possible candidate for the neighboring African-American majority seat in North Florida, Congressional District 5, but those prospects narrowed when U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown announced on Wednesday that she will stay in the seat, which includes Brown's stronghold of Jacksonville.

If Graham continues with her bid for governor, she will likely face a primary. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn also has been considering seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018. Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, a millionaire businessman who has also been rumored to be eyeing the Democratic nomination for governor, told the Herald Thursday he is focused on being mayor.

And state Sen. Jeremy Ring of Margate told the Herald/Times on Thursday he has also begun an exploratory campaign but will not make a decision until next year.

“Yes, I'm considering it but no one is paying attention. No one should be paying attention,'' said Ring, a former Yahoo executive who now holds investments in several businesses. He said if he were to run it would "not be as a state senator trying to move up the ladder but as part of the team that helped build Yahoo who happened to be a state senator."

Steve Schale, who was the senior advisor to Graham’s congressional campaign, said Graham had every intention of running for re-election and was genuinely disappointed in the outcome of redistricting. Her announcement was an effort to be “transparent and direct” with her constituents while she serves out the remainder of her term, he said.

“She thought it was important as part of this to end the speculation but does that mean she’s made a final decsion to run, no,’’ Schale said. “She's definitely very serious about it.”

Graham's announcement was considered by Democratic operatives to be more than a trial balloon but a sign that she was prepared to end speculation and control the message.

"The timing is perfect,'' said Steve Vancore a Democratic political consultant unaffiliated with any of the Democratic hopefuls. "After the court ruling, she had become the big question and she was smart to get ahead of it with mostly clear answers."

Screven Watson, another Democratic who also is unaffiliated, said he believes Graham is "an immediate force to be reckoned with."　

"The reality is, more women vote in this state than men -- it can be as high as a 10 percent difference in some areas -- so gender matters,'' Watson said. 　

Graham, 53, was born in Miami Lakes but moved to Tallahassee in 1978 when her father was elected governor. She graduated from Tallahassee's Leon High School in 1980, received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984 and her law degree from American University's Washington College of Law in 1988.　

There has not been a candidate for governor from North Florida since Reubin Askew in 1970, but Watson believes Graham's record of defeating Southerland, her family name, and her congressional record as a moderate, will be an asset.

"If she can win up here and beat an Republican incumbent, she can make the argument she can win statewide,'' he said.

South Florida remains the stronghold for Democratic votes and, in the past two races for governor, the Democratic candidates — Alex Sink and Charlie Crist — failed to produce a high enough Democratic turnout, helping deliver the race to the better-financed multimillionaire Scott.

Graham would have to spend time in South Florida to increase her name recognition among average voters.

"I think she is known in the political world in South Florida but not the general public," said Mitch Ceasar, former longtime Broward Democratic party chairman.

Graham's challenge in a statewide Democratic primary will be explaining some right-leaning votes she took in her conservative district including in favor of the Keystone pipeline, rolling back Dodd Frank regulations of Wall Street, and in support of tougher immigration restrictions for Syrian refugees.

Graham had about $1.8 million cash on hand in her Congressional account as of the end of March, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

According to financial disclosures filed with the U.S. House of Representatives, Graham's net worth in 2014 -- the most recent date available -- ranged between about $4.7 million and $25.7 million. Most of that income came through an individual investment in The Graham Companies, where she serves as a director.

Graham notes that her earned income includes "spouse salary." Her husband, Stephen D. Hurm, works as general counsel for the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles. According to state records, he makes $109,000 annually.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 12:10 PM with the headline "U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham announces potential run for Florida governor."