Alex Sink announces she’ll run for Bill Young’s seat in Congress

TALLAHASSEE — Former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink made it official Wednesday, announcing via email that she was running in the special election to fill the late U.S. Rep. Bill Young’s Tampa Bay-based congressional seat.

In the message she cites the partial federal government shutdown as motivation for her decision, which potentially takes her out of contention for another 2014 statewide office bid.

“I made this decision after careful consideration. Everywhere I go I hear the same sentiment from Floridians: Washington is broken,” Sink wrote in an email to financial supporters.

“Look at what happened during the government shutdown. The people of Pinellas County I have talked to are angry — they are frustrated that our leaders in Washington were unwilling to solve even the most basic of problems: to keep our government functioning.’’

Sink had been considering a run for governor until late September when she elected to step aside in anticipation that former Gov. Charlie Crist would jump into the race as a Democrat. Crist is expected to announce his candidacy next week in St. Petersburg. She had also considered running for another statewide post, like her old CFO job.

The special election was triggered by the death this month of Young, who had been Florida’s longestserving congressional member. A field of potential Republicans, including Young’s widow, is considering the seat. Sink is the highest-profile Democrat to get in the ring.

The dates for the election haven’t been made final, but a primary could be held in January and a general election in March. The winner would then have to turn around and stand for re-election next fall.

“As Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, I worked together with Republicans and Democrats to get things done. Throughout my entire career, I never let politics, name-calling, or finger-pointing get in the way of … finding solutions for the people I served,’’ Sink said.