Independent candidate Bud Chiles confirmed Wednesday he would drop out of Florida's race for governor and back Democratic nominee Alex Sink. [...]
In a statement, aide Jim McClellan said Chiles would make the announcement official at a Thursday morning news conference in Tallahassee.
Democratic pollster Tom Eldon said the rise of surprise GOP nominee Rick Scott ended up changing the electoral math for Chiles, the son of former Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles, who had jumped into the race in June as a alternative to the two major party candidates.
"Democrats, independents and a healthy percentage of Republicans have been coalescing around Sink ever since Scott's receipt of the GOP's nomination and this has marginalized Chiles in recent polling," said Eldon. "Chiles, like these voters, is rightly worried about the damage Rick Scott could do to the state if he were to be elected governor. Chiles could live with himself if Bill McCollum became governor. I don't think he wanted to face the morning-after had Rick Scott just been elected governor."
PPP's most recent poll indicated that the bulk of Chiles' support came from conservative-leaning folks who just couldn't stomach Rick Scott. His exit may only have a net neutral effect, but his endorsement is surely welcome news here.
Chiles added that he came away from the meeting "feeling a whole lot better" about Sink's stance on issues he cares about, such as renewable energy, children's issues and spurring small business. "It seemed to me like that there was a lot more agreement than I might have thought."
