Forget Rick Baker for governor

MAY 11, 2009

Just as I was finishing up a column on prominent Republicans eager to see Republican Mayor Rick Baker of St. Petersburg jump into the governor's race, Baker calls to say that over the weekend he and his family decided against a statewide campaign.

"I only have a few years left with my kids at home, and I just want to be with them,'' Baker said. "It's really not a question of whether I think I could win, it's really personal reasons. You start thinking about an 18-month campaign."

He's untested on a big stage, but a fresh-faced consistent conservative -- socially and fiscally -- who won more than 90 percent of the African-American vote in his community could have been a real force.

Posted by Adam Smith at 12:56:11 pm on May 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments |

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