Tampabay.com
FEBRUARY 01, 2009

Putnam in Ag race

Adam Putnam announces to AP what everybody's known for a while -- he's giving up his seat to run for commissioner of agriculture.

Putnam tells the Associated Press he will file paperwork to officially enter the race on Monday. He was the third most powerful Republican in the House until the last election, when he decided not to seek another term as chair of the House Republican Conference.

Putnam is the heavy favorite for the GOP nomination, and Democrats don't yet have a candidate of their own.

Meanwhile, the race for Putnam's seat could be a good one, with Dennis Ross and Paula Dockery among the Republicans in the mix, and Rick Dantzler and Doug Tudor among the Democrats. It's a heavily Republican district, but Alex Sink won it and Barack Obama only lost by three points -- so the right Democrat could win it.

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