Attorney General Pam Bondi will have a challenger in the 2014 election. Former Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon is vying for the Democratic nomination.
Announcing his candidacy on Facebook, Sheldon wasted no time in blasting Attorney General Bondi for trying to stall the implementation of Obamacare.
“If you look at Florida, which has turned down a substantial amount of federal opportunities, if you look at Florida which has demagogued the Affordable Care Act, particularly Bondi and Scott – all of that led me to say now is the time to come back home and leave the federal government,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon left his position at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the same agency in charge of implementing Obamacare, to focus on his campaign. It’s that time in D.C. that the Republican Party of Florida says disqualifies Sheldon as the right candidate for the job. In a statement, the RPOF said Sheldon is emblematic of a broken D.C. culture. But, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Nan Rich, who worked with Sheldon during her time as a state senator, argued his Washington experience is an asset, not an impediment.
“It’s kind of far-fetched for the Republican Party to be bashing George Sheldon for having gone to Washington to try and work on healthcare implementation when you know he has such a long and distinguished history as a public servant in Florida,” Rich said.
Sheldon served as DCF Secretary under then-Republican Charlie Crist and also as Deputy Attorney General under Bob Butterworth.