Can you say "Senator Slosberg?"

Senator Slosberg (as in Irv). Sounds catchy, doesn't it? Get used to it.

The prospect of Irv bringing his unique political style to the clubby Florida Senate is increasing, now that Rep. Anne Gannon, D-Delray Beach, has dropped plans to seek the Palm Beach County Senate seat being vacated by the term-limited Ron Klein, who's running for Congress. Gannon says she will stay put and seek re-election to her House seat instead. Her decision was first reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Friday.

Gannon's exit means Slosberg's only rival for the Democratic nomination in the liberal 30th Senate district is Ted Deutch, a Boca Raton attorney who opened a campaign account only last month. Slosberg, a multimillionaire, has loaned his campaign $50,000 and raised $7,800 through Sept. 30, and he is known as a tenacious, hard-working campaigner.

Slosberg, 57, won his first self-financed race in 2000 under the slogan "Let Irv Serve." He unseated incumbent Rep. Curt Levine, who criticized Slosberg for seeking to buy votes by showering retirees with free corned beef sandwiches and rustic "schlepper" bags with his picture on them. He's best known for his crusade for stronger seat-belt laws in Florida after losing a teenage daughter, Dori, in a traffic accident nine years ago.