Ring Takes Plunge into State CFO Race
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, May 31, 2017......... After months of speculation that he would run, former Democratic state Sen. Jeremy Ring has become the first candidate to formally emerge in the 2018 race for state chief financial officer.
Ring, who represented parts of Broward County in the Senate from 2006 to 2016, opened a campaign account Tuesday for the Cabinet race, according to the state Division of Elections website.
The move came after Ring has made appearances in various parts of the state in recent months in preparation for a run. All three Cabinet seats --- chief financial officer, attorney general and agriculture commissioner --- and the governor's office will be on the ballot in 2018.
A measure of uncertainty, however, surrounds the race for chief financial officer because Republican incumbent Jeff Atwater plans to step down in the coming weeks to take a position at Florida Atlantic University. Gov. Rick Scott will appoint a replacement to finish Atwater's term --- and it remains unclear whether that replacement would seek a full term in 2018, potentially going into the race with the trappings of an incumbent.
Scott has not named a replacement for Atwater, who said last week that he will wait for final action on the state budget before leaving office. Lawmakers passed a budget May 8, but it had not been sent to Scott as of early Wednesday.
Ring, a former executive with the internet firm Yahoo, is a businessman who listed a net worth of $12.55 million on a financial disclosure filed last year with the state. He easily won three Senate elections in Broward County, a Democratic stronghold.
During his time in the Legislature, Ring was often viewed as a relative moderate. As an example, he served as chairman of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee and was heavily involved in pension-related issues in the Republican-dominated Senate. He also worked last year with then-Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, on legislation aimed at boosting employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Democrats have had little success in Cabinet races during the past two decades, with their most-recent victory in 2006 when Alex Sink was elected chief financial officer. Sink did not seek re-election in 2010, instead running unsuccessfully for governor.
But the 2018 elections could provide an opportunity for Democrats, with Republican incumbents Atwater, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam leaving their seats. Bondi and Putnam face term limits, with Putnam running for governor.
Among the candidates seeking the other Cabinet posts are state Sen. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, and Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, running for agriculture commissioner and Rep. Jay Fant, R-Jacksonville, running for attorney general.
