Guest AuthorAfter being elected governor as a Republican, he came to Tallahassee as a businessman who had not held public office before.
His first term was filled with blunders and controversy and it appeared that his re-election was in doubt when a prominent Democrat appeared likely to run against him.
But Jeb Bush became the first Republican to win re-election in Florida history and he won with 56 percent of the vote.
The similarities between the first terms of Jeb Bush and Rick Scott are eerily similar. Democrats may want to look at the past and learn from it if they plan to unseat the current governor.
But, most pundits don’t believe the Florida Democratic Party is organized enough to throw a decent backyard barbecue much less a multi-million dollar statewide campaign to unseat an incumbent governor.
Both Bush and Scott came to office promising to bring a business approach to government. In doing so, they both vetoed millions of dollars of projects often referred to as “turkeys.”
Needless to say, both angered leaders within their party who supported those projects and both used the veto pen more sparingly during the rest of their first term. Bush vetoed 550 items that would have cost $313 million. Scott vetoed $615 million worth of projects. They both scrapped plans for high-speed rail.
Bush and Scott have had racial challenges, too. Bush implemented through an executive order “One Florida,” which replaced affirmative action and prompted Sen. Kendrick Meek and Rep. Tony Hill to stage a 25-hour sit-in.
Scott finally met with members of Dream Defenders who were protesting the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law after the George Zimmerman verdict.
Finally, both men had a rocky first term dealing with the press.
Bush had an ongoing feud with the Palm Beach Post and in January 2011, Scott tried to restrict the press by allowing only a single pool reporter to cover an event at the governor’s mansion.
Scott may face a few hurdles that Bush did not, however.
First, Bush’s brother was President of the United States. With less than a year before the primary election, Democrats seem poised to nominate Charlie Crist, who has been elected statewide three times, including governor.
Finally, campaign finance laws have changed. Specifically, where the Florida Democratic Party appears to be no help to anyone winning a statewide election, those running for office are much less dependent on their political parties than they have been in the past.
Bush overcame a rocky first term and won in a landslide in 2002 and it wouldn’t surprise me if we see the same from Rick Scott in 2014.
