George Sheldon, the former head of the state Department of Children and Families, has announced he's running for Florida Attorney General.
He'll be up against incumbent Pam Bondi, a Republican from Tampa. In his Facebook post, Sheldon said the race is about "character," and pledged to be above partisan politics.
Sheldon recently resigned as acting assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was also a candidate for Florida Attorney General in 2002, when he lost the Democratic nomination to Buddy Dyer, who is currently mayor of Orlando. Then-Republican Charlie Crist eventually was elected to the post - and chose Sheldon to be his DCF secretary.
Here's his post on Facebook:
This past Friday I officially resigned as Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Health and Human Services and today I am announcing my candidacy for Attorney General for Florida. As Deputy Attorney General for Bob Butterworth I know the potential that office holds for protecting our families and taking on any one or any corporation that would threaten us. Taking on predatory lenders, human traffickers, and those who engage in deceptive practices is the job of the Attorney General…not working full time trying to deny health insurance to children and anyone with preexisting conditions. This race is about character. Who has the experience and character to use the office of attorney general for general good rather than as a personal, political, partisan platform. I hope you agree that my experience in Florida’s Attorney General office, serving as Secretary of Children and Families in Florida, and as Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of Health and Human Services allows me to serve as Florida’s Attorney General. I’m proud that children and families have been in my job title for almost a decade and that protecting has been a job description. It is time to restore integrity in the Attorney General office. Together we can do it. I ask for your vote, your help, your time and your prayers. Together we can restore character to the office of George Sheldon for Attorney General in Florida.
