Bankruptcies force Democrat Allie Braswell to quit race for CFO

Well, that didn't take long.

Four days after declaring his candidacy for chief financial officer, Democrat Allie Braswell quit the race Monday, following disclosures that he has repeatedly filed for personal bankruptcy. Braswell issued a statement in which he apologized to his supporters as he threw in the towel on challenging Republican CFO Jeff Atwater in 2014.

"The bright spotlight of a statewide campaign has cast the ups and downs of my life into harsh relief, and I now know that this campaign is not the way I was meant to serve my community," Braswell's statement said. "Running statewide is a daunting challenge for any candidate; as a political outsider, I have now learned that I underestimated how my campaign would affect those I care about most."

Braswell, a native of Oviedo, was most recently president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League. The Florida Times-Union reported that he filed for bankruptcy three times over a 13-year period, most recently in Orlando in 2008. He declared his candidacy last Thursday, vowing to be a "fiscal watchdog who will hold our government and politicians accountable." Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant hailed Braswell's candidacy, calling him "exactly the kind of leader we need in Tallahassee."

His abrupt exit is yet another setback for the Florida Democratic Party as it struggles to become more competitive with Republicans at a time when four statewide offices will be up for grabs next year.