Florida’s Secretary of State who’s been vigorously defending the state’s controversial new election law officially resigning Wednesday. As Sascha Cordner reports, this is actually Kurt Browning’s second time leaving the post. He originally left the position when serving under Governor Charlie Crist.
Following a meeting with Governor Rick Scott, Browning confirmed he was stepping down as Florida’s elections chief. Browning was adamant that Scott did not force his resignation and says he told the Governor he wanted to leave to be with his family in Pasco County.
“Had to give a lot of soul searching to what was going on and actually we started talking about my wife and my son’s cancer diagnosis in ’09, when he was 23 and how she left Tallahassee after two years of being up here with me and really he wanted to know how my son was.”
Browning was the former supervisor of elections for Pasco County, before his appointment as the Secretary of State under former Governor Charlie Crist to be Secretary of State. He then retired in April 2010, but returned after he was asked by Governor Scott. Browning says he’s considering a run for Pasco County School Superintendent. But, before that, he hopes to stay through Florida’s upcoming January 31st presidential primary. His last day is February 17th.
