Florida's Attorney General candidates will meet in their only debate Tuesday night in St. Petersburg and Democrat Sean Shaw is looking forward to facing Republican opponent Ashley Moody.
Shaw, a lawyer and one-time Florida House member, has a one-word answer when asked what differentiates him from former circuit judge and federal prosecutor Moody: everything.
"People are going to get a very stark difference here when they see how we believe the Attorney General's office ought to be involved in various issues," said Shaw.
Those issues include subjects like the death penalty and the state's "stand your ground" laws.
He also said there's a similar disparity between Florida's Democratic and Republican candidates up and down the ballot.
"If you think public education needs a change, if you want the environment protected, if you think the Everglades and Lake Okechobee hadn't been handled as it should have, if you want people that will address climate change because they believe that there is a problem, you're going to have to elect Democrats," said Shaw.
Shaw was at the University of South Florida campus Monday for a rally with fellow Democratic candidates. He remains optimistic about the prospects of a "blue wave" of voter support.
"I'm a Florida native, I've been a Democrat all my life, I've never seen the energy like this on our side, particularly in a non-Presidential year," he said.
The debate will be broadcast by Spectrum Bay News 9 at 7 p.m..
Shaw and Moody are scheduled to appear on "The Florida Roundup" this Friday at noon on WUSF 89-point-7.
