Rising Star Sink Stays Grounded

By WILLIAM MARCH

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 27, 2008

DENVER - On Monday, opening day of the historic Democratic National Convention in Denver, Alex Sink, widely considered Florida's rising Democratic star, was nowhere near the Colorado city.

Instead, Sink stayed in Florida to tour areas damaged by Tropical Storm Fay.

She made it to Denver to speak to the Florida delegation Tuesday morning, but her speech still focused mostly on Florida.

"I'm up there in Tallahassee taking care of your taxpayers' dollars," she said, but Democrats "need another senator and three more Cabinet members."

While Sink is focusing on Florida and her job as chief financial officer, state Democrats might like to see her focus on something else - the 2010 governor race against Charlie Crist, maybe, or the U.S. Senate race against Mel Martinez.

In Denver less than a full day Tuesday morning, she had already started getting recruiting pitches from fellow Democrats about future races. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the state's other top elected Democrat, has asked her to sit down before long to discuss her future.

But Sink is keeping her powder dry, refusing to be drawn into speculation about her.

Sink said she'll talk, "but I'm focused on my job right now."

One reason for her caution: In 2002, Sink saw husband Bill McBride's attempt to unseat Florida Gov. Jeb Bush collapse in an embarrassing 13-percentage-point loss.

The couple, Tampa's foremost Democratic power duo, threw heart and soul into the race. Despite lawyer McBride's war hero and business credentials, and despite Democratic anger over the disputed 2000 presidential race, he couldn't raise the money or momentum to threaten Bush.

"I'm not interested in going on a kamikaze mission," Sink said in a recent interview. "I don't have any intention of running against a popular incumbent governor."

In 2006, Sink became Florida Democrats' top future election prospect when she won the statewide race for CFO in her first try for public office - an unusual achievement.

"In Florida, it's virtually impossible to win statewide if you've never run statewide before," said Democratic political consultant Derek Newton of Miami, who has not worked for Sink.

She was also the first Democrat since 1996 to win a statewide office - senator, governor or Cabinet member - without already holding one.

That achievement gives Sink "the right of first refusal" for any office she may consider seeking, Newton said.

"Be it governor or U.S. Senate, people are going to expect her to decline it before they weigh in," he said. Nelson isn't likely to run for any office other than his current Senate seat, so "she's the one with the ability to move up," Newton said.

The speculation about Sink's future didn't start in Denver this week - it started immediately after she won her office.

But Sink damped it down.

She told Crist in person, soon after they both took office in early 2007, that she didn't intend to run against him. She also took a low profile on the state's elected Cabinet, rarely disagreeing with the other members, all Republicans: Crist, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson and Attorney General Bill McCollum.

That seemed wise, considering Crist's approval ratings of more than 60 percent.

She's Starting To Speak Up

Still, in recent months, political circumstances are causing Sink to crack the door a bit.

Crist's approval ratings remain strong, but property taxes and insurance rates in Florida haven't dropped "like a rock" as he promised they would. Approval of the Bush administration and Republican political prospects have.

Florida probably will face economic and budget problems through the rest of Crist's first term, and the Republican Party is experiencing conservative-versus-moderate divisiveness.

"The difference now is that I'm open-minded," Sink said. "We're getting closer to the decision point, and I want to listen to people and listen to my advisers and evaluate the opportunities."

Sink has also begun taking high-profile opposition stances on the Cabinet, often based on her credibility as a former successful banker.

•She recently called for a special legislative session to deal with a projected tax revenue shortfall, saying law enforcement can't take an across-the-board spending cut that Crist advocates.

•In February, she denounced the plan backed by Crist and the Legislature for dealing with property insurance, saying it didn't produce lower rates and left taxpayers exposed to potentially devastating losses.

•In June, she blasted John McCain's and Crist's decisions to support offshore oil drilling near Florida, proclaiming herself "angry" and "stunned by this turn of opinion."

•In an Aug. 12 Cabinet meeting, she objected to the all-white list of nominees for a state Parole Commission seat, noting that most parole applicants are minorities, but the board is all white.

That hit Crist in a tender spot - he has made racial diversity a high-profile goal of his administration.

"I'm not interested in going out and being a grandstander, but when there are legitimate opportunities, I'll take a stand," Sink said of her recent higher profile.

That profile won't extend to a nationally visible role at the convention. Neither of Florida's top elected Democrats, Sink nor Nelson, will speak from the convention podium this week.

One reason: Nelson backed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primary against Barack Obama, and Sink stayed neutral, so she could "focus on helping the party unite behind the nominee when the contest is over," she said.

Strengths And Weaknesses

Sink's list of strengths as a political candidate is considerable.

Her home base in Tampa - the state's biggest media market and a swing area that can decide elections - is one of her big political advantages, Newton said.

One big disadvantage: She's the least well-known of Florida's statewide officeholders - the governor, the two senators and the three Cabinet members.

A Quinnipiac University poll in June showed her with 33 percent job approval to 25 percent disapproval. That left 42 percent of respondents answering "don't know."

Sink said she's taking steps to increase her public visibility, including events such as a recent televised state auction of unclaimed property in Tampa.

Sink said she is more suited to the governor's job than a Senate seat.

But, she added, "Right now I'm planning to run for re-election. ... I'll get past this election cycle, and then I'll make a decision about the future."