Graham might face primary battle in race for Democratic gubernatorial nomination

U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham still hasn’t officially announced a decision about whether she will seek the Democratic nomination for the Florida governorship in 2018. But some both inside and outside of the party are already treating her like she’s the frontrunner.

Back during a Hillary Clinton campaign rally in Tallahassee on November 7, U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden made encouraging remarks about the possibility of Graham winning the Governor’s Mansion. Her father, Bob Graham, served as the governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987.

“Gwen Graham, great congresswoman who I predict may be your next governor down here,” Biden said.

The Republican Governors Association also appears to see her as the likely Democratic nominee. Yesterday, it released a statement taking jabs at her on the issue of “transparency.”

But two online petitions are seeking alternatives to Graham in the Democratic primary. One urges John Morgan, an Orlando attorney, to run. The other asks Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a FAMU alumnus, to enter the race.

A November poll by Saint Leo University found that 49.4 percent of state Democrats said they were unsure of who they would back for the party’s gubernatorial nomination. Morgan had the most support at 19.7 percent.

Graham, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer each picked up 5.1 percent.

The remaining percentages of support were: U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (3.9 percent), Miami Beach Mayor Phil Levine (3.4 percent), Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler (1.1 percent), and state Sen. Jeremy Ring (0.6 percent).

For the Republican field, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had the most support at 31.5 percent. Huckabee moved to Florida in 2010.

The next biggest percentage went to “someone else” (7.3 percent). Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam had 6.2 percent.