Because political season is officially upon us, we shouldn’t feel surprised when politicos we know start popping up in news feeds as newborn contenders. Bob Poe, former chairman of the Florida Democratic Party and (more recently) fundraising friend of former Gov. Charlie Crist, is the latest to stick his wet finger in the wind to see if he’s going to throw his hat in the 10th Congressional District ring, according to Politico. We reached out to Poe, and he said that the notion of his candidacy is “premature,” though we all know that’s code for “independent polling.” A longtime champion of LGBT rights (along with husband Kenneth), Poe would clearly make some noise in a crowding field. He would also smile a lot. Poe likes to smile. From Marc Caputo at Politico:
CRIST ALLY BOB POE FOR CONGRESS? – The race for the soon-to-be-redrawn CD10 seat has an unexpected candidate checking it out: Bob Poe, the former Florida Democratic Party chairman in 2002 and Charlie Crist for Florida treasurer in 2014. Poe,who didn’t return calls (a sign he’s serious) has begun talking to potential donors, consultants and party officials (namely FDP’s Scott Arcenaux). Poe sees the Orlando-area seat as a great opportunity and is “taking a serious and thoughtful approach to serving his home district,” a friend said. Poe grew up in Pine Hills, attended Maynard Evans High School and, in the 1970s, advocated for single-member districts in Orlando to help minorities get elected.
–THE TWIST: Poe is white and the presumed frontrunner for the seat, former Orlando police chief Val Demings is African-American as is likely candidate and current state Sen. Geraldine Thompson. Another potential candidate, former state Sen. Gary Siplin, is also black. If so many black candidates run in what’s likely to be a minority-access seat, it could divide up the minority vote and make it paradoxically easier to deliver a win to the white guy who championed minority-election rights in the area.
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