A Democratic candidate said Thursday he plans to challenge Republican Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, a former Palm Beach Gardens state lawmaker in his first term.
Allie Braswell, president and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League and an ex-Marine, plans to take on Atwater, who was Florida’s leading statewide vote-getter in the 2010 election. Atwater also is a robust fund-raiser but Braswell says he will run against Tallahassee.
“We need a leader who will help protect taxpayers by cracking down on huge contracts that politicians are handing over to their supporters and political allies,” Braswell said. ”I’ll be a fiscal watchdog who will hold our government and politicians accountable and fight to shift the focus of our leaders away from helping their friends and back to attracting good jobs to Florida.”
An Atwater spokesman, Brian Hughes, said Democrats are jumping the gun with Braswell’s announcement.
“Mr. Braswell and Democrats want to focus on politics well over a year before Election Day,” Hughes said. “Jeff Atwater is focused on serving Floridians by working to bring relief to insurance ratepayers and fighting the consumer fraud that steals from seniors and families.”
