Alex Sink

Governor, Florida

Putting a Democrat in charge in Florida. When GOP Gov. Charlie Crist announced he’d run for Senate, Democrats united behind Alex Sink, Florida’s chief financial officer, to take over the governor’s mansion in this critical battleground state. Sink became Florida’s first female chief financial officer in 2006 with support from EMILY’s List’s Political Opportunity Program. If she succeeds, she will be Florida’s first woman governor.

Fiscal expertise, proven leadership. Alex Sink has the business savvy and leadership skills to restore vibrancy to Florida’s economy. An innovative chief financial officer, Sink directed investment managers to assess the impact of global warming on the state’s investment portfolio -- safeguarding tax dollars from risk and serving as a model for other states. She is a courageous and outspoken leader who has repeatedly stood up for a woman’s right to choose.

Republican relic of the Reagan revolution. Leading Republican candidate state Attorney General and former Washington lobbyist Bill McCollum is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. House and loyal member of Newt Gingrich’s army. He earned perfect scores from the National Right to Life Committee for his opposition to reproductive freedom. Alex Sink needs immediate support from EMILY’s List members to build a campaign war chest that can overcome McCollum's deep connections to special interests.

More About Alex Sink

When Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) announced his decision to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, Democrats quickly united behind Alex Sink, the state’s chief financial officer, as their choice for the top office in this huge, politically important battleground state. If she wins, Sink would make history as Florida’s first woman governor. And, because Florida is the fourth largest state in the country, Sink would immediately become a national political star. But this will be a brutal, costly campaign. Republicans have had a hold on power here for over a decade, and Sink’s likely Republican opponent, right-wing Attorney General Bill McCollum, has already gone on the attack — signaling the GOP’s intent to fight hard and dirty to keep control.

Sink brings to this race a winning combination of business savvy and leadership. An innovative CFO, she’s used the power of her office to protect consumers, eliminate wasteful spending, crack down on fraud, and restore accountability to government. She initiated the practice of posting Florida’s checkbook online, so that people can see for themselves how their tax dollars are being spent. She launched a web site for citizens to offer their ideas for streamlining state services. Her efforts to help Florida families avoid foreclosure earned Sink high praise from Tallahassee Democrat business editor Steve Liner, who wrote that Floridians should “thank good government proponents like Alex Sink for being in your corner.”

Sink has always been active in politics, but her 2006 campaign for CFO was her first run for public office (EMILY’s List supported Sink’s campaign through POP, the Political Opportunity Program). Prior to that, Sink spent 26 years in the business world, ultimately becoming president of Florida’s largest bank during the 1990s. Throughout her career, she has volunteered and held leadership roles in her community — from chairing the board of the United Way of Hillsborough County, to working with migrant support groups, to serving on the late Gov. Lawton Chiles’ Commission on Education and Commission on Government Accountability to the People. In 2003, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida honored Sink with their “Choice Award” for her outspoken support for women’s rights and reproductive freedom.

The Political Situation

Sink’s strength as a candidate has put this seat in play and given Democrats reason to be optimistic about taking back the governor’s office. And there couldn’t be a clearer contrast between her and her likely Republican opponent, state Attorney General Bill McCollum, a right-wing career politician and former Washington lobbyist with longstanding ties to deep-pocketed special interests.

By the end of his 20-year career in the U.S. House, McCollum had amassed a voting record far to the right of the mainstream. Tallahassee Democrat columnist Mary Lindley summed up McCollum in 2004: “he gives little indication of ever having any thoughts that didn’t conform to the ultra-right party line.” Another columnist, Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Tribune, wrote in 2000 that McCollum is “so conservative he makes Rush Limbaugh look like Jane Fonda.” In Congress, he voted against the Family and Medical Leave Act, arguing it would reduce job opportunities for women. He repeatedly voted against legislation to protect the environment, ending his congressional career with a lifetime score of 27 percent from the League of Conservation Voters. His views have not softened in the years since; in 2007, McCollum declared that “the science is not all in” on global warming. McCollum rose to national prominence during the 1990s as one of 13 “House managers” leading the effort to impeach President Bill Clinton.

McCollum’s views on choice earned him high marks from the National Right to Life Committee and the Christian Coalition. Declaring that Roe was wrongly decided, McCollum suggested during his 2000 U.S. Senate campaign that he would support a constitutional amendment to ban all abortions. He supported Reagan’s Global Gag rule to withhold international aid from family planning organizations that mention abortion in their materials; opposed allowing federal health plans to cover abortion services; and voted in favor of prohibiting Medicaid funding for poor women seeking abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.

As ranking Republican on the House Banking Committee and a former Washington lobbyist, McCollum has developed a vast network of moneyed interests willing to finance his campaigns. He raised nearly $8 million for his 2000 U.S. Senate campaign, when his third-largest contributor was the Enron Corporation (at the time, McCollum boasted of his 20-year friendship with disgraced CEO Ken Lay). But as much money as he can raise, McCollum isn’t above seeking “free” publicity; the attorney general’s office recently awarded a $2.5 million government contract to one of McCollum’s former political consultants, who then created an ad campaign prominently trumpeting Attorney General McCollum’s tough-on-crime credentials.

Political analysts see this as one of the hottest races of 2010. In June, the Rothenberg Report included it among four Republican gubernatorial seats leaning toward Democratic takeover; the Cook Political Report and Congressional Quarterly both list it as a toss-up. Early public polls show a tight race, with Sink and McCollum taking turns in the lead. Sink will benefit from Democrats’ growing strength in Florida. The Obama campaign undertook a major push to register and mobilize voters, ultimately winning the state with 51 percent of the vote. Two Democrats defeated Republican congressional incumbents in 2008, including Cong. Suzanne Kosmas, an EMILY’s List candidate. Democrats have gained nine state House seats since 2006, and registered Democrats outnumber Republicans statewide.

Sink has the unified backing of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation, and early endorsements from the AFLCIO and unions representing thousands of teachers and firefighters. She has outpaced McCollum in early fundraising, but statewide campaigns in Florida are notoriously expensive. Sink needs immediate support from EMILY’s List members to raise $20 million to win this seat for Democrats and become the first female governor of Florida.

The Issues

“Our state needs a new and different kind of leadership,” says Sink, “After three decades in business, creating jobs and economic opportunity in communities across the state, I’m determined to put my experience and know-how to work protecting the middle class, strengthening the economy, and putting Florida back on track.”

Sink’s children both attended Florida public schools, and she was an active member of the PTA. “Strengthening our schools is the best way to improve Florida’s economy,” she notes. “I am committed to making sure Florida teachers have the tools they need to help children thrive and create a workforce that can compete in the 21st century.”

Sink’s priorities for Florida’s budget include initiatives to foster job creation, make health care more affordable, expand access to higher education, and help middle-class families get ahead. As CFO, she has led the charge to streamline government services, saving millions of taxpayer dollars. In 2008, she called for a special legislative session to deal with the state’s fiscal crisis. “Our state has been built on a ‘sandy’ foundation,” Sink says. “We need to recalibrate our priorities to restart our economy and restore our job market.”

Under Sink’s leadership, the Department of Financial Services built up its investigative division to more aggressively prosecute fraud and bring con artists to justice. “As CFO, I’ve cracked down on fraud and abuse and always stood up for Floridians,” says Sink, noting that Florida consistently ranks among the top states in the number of arrests and convictions, making over 800 insurance fraud-related arrests in the 2008 fiscal year.

Ensuring that Floridians have access to affordable, quality health care will be a priority for Sink. As chair of the Florida Healthy Kids Board, she fought for legislation to increase enrollment in Florida’s KidCare program when she learned that a half-million eligible children were not receiving coverage. Sink worked to streamline the process and launched a community awareness campaign to educate schools and parents about the program.

“The global financial crisis feels anything but global when it hits your family right at the kitchen table,” Sink says. To help homeowners avoid foreclosure, Sink enlisted the Florida Bar to create the Florida Attorneys Saving Homes program, recruiting more than 1,000 lawyers statewide willing to volunteer their time to advise struggling families. Measures to make health care more affordable, expand access to higher education, and create living-wage jobs will lift more families out of poverty, she notes.

“Given our state’s natural resources, top-notch research institutions, and innovative work force, Florida is uniquely positioned to lead the green jobs revolution,” says Sink. Noting that Florida is more vulnerable than most states to the effects of climate change, Sink has incorporated her concern into the state’s fiscal policy, directing state money managers to take into account the impact of global warming on the state’s portfolio — safeguarding tax dollars from risk and serving as a model for other states.

Sink has always been an outspoken supporter of family planning and reproductive rights. She is the only pro-choice member of Florida’s cabinet, and, as governor, will protect a woman’s right to choose.

August 2009