Eye on 2010

McCollum, who will turn 65 years old on July 12, is a veteran of state Republican politics who represented a central Florida district in the U.S. House from 1981 to 2001.

But his win for Attorney General in 2006 was a step back up the political ladder for McCollum after he was thwarted twice in four years as a U.S. Senate candidate: in 2000 as the GOP nominee who lost to Democrat Bill Nelson, and in 2004 when he lost to current incumbent Mel Martinez in the Republican primary.

Martinez announced in December that he would not seek a second Senate term in 2010. McCollum suggested that he might make another go for that seat before stating that he would instead pursue re-election as Attorney General.

But McCollum, like other well-known Florida politicians in both major parties, had their 2010 prospects altered last Tuesday with Crist's decision to run for the Senate seat that Martinez left open. Crist would have been strongly favored to win re-election as governor had he gone in that direction.

With the governor's race now up for grabs, prominent Democrat Alex Sink wasted no time announcing her intention to run for governor. Like McCollum, Sink -- whose current position of chief financial officer is the equivalent of state treasurer -- had mulled a bid for the 2010 Senate race earlier this year, but then said she would instead seek re-election to her current state office.

And McCollum may not be immune to opposition in next year's Republican primary. State Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is among those thinking about entering the governor's race. Bronson said later Monday he would likely announce his intentions later this week.

CQ Politics rates the general election race for governor as Tossup.