5 candidates scramble for attention in AG race

TALLAHASSEE -- It's the résumé primary.

Boldly pitching different biographies, five lawyers are fighting for two spots Tuesday in the race to be Florida attorney general.

Three Republicans and two Democrats have duked it out for months in a down-ballot race that has struggled to attract attention from voters distracted by incessant ads by candidates for governor and U.S. Senate.

Republicans will choose from a trio of Holly Benson, 39, of Pensacola, a former state House member who later headed two state agencies under Gov. Charlie Crist; Pam Bondi, 44, of Tampa, a former assistant state attorney in Hillsborough who's making her first try for public office; and Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, 49, of Fort Myers, a civil lawyer and former legislator and the only candidate in the race who has run statewide.

Democrats will decide between two state senators: Dave Aronberg, 39, of Greenacres, a former assistant attorney general, and Dan Gelber, 49, of Miami Beach, a former federal prosecutor and staff member on Capitol Hill.

A new Mason-Dixon poll released Friday showed a virtual tie on the Republican side, with Bondi leading the pack and Gelber the clear front-runner on the Democratic ballot. But in each race, more voters are undecided than persuaded.

In addition to serving as the state's chief legal officer, the attorney general is one of three voting members of the Cabinet, along with the governor, on issues ranging from investments of public funds to environmental policy. The job pays $128,972 a year.

The Republican contest offers voters a stark choice.

Bondi is a political newcomer who used to be a Democrat, has Sarah Palin's endorsement and is on a first-name basis with major Fox News personalities (``Sean, Bill, Greta'' who are revered by primary voters.

Kottkamp was Crist's hand-picked choice as running mate in 2006 but the two men haven't spoken since Crist left the GOP in April. ``I don't need on-the-job training. I don't have a learning curve,'' Kottkamp said.

Benson, a former municipal bond attorney, stresses her oversight of big bureaucracies, including Florida's Medicaid program. The attorney general oversees a Medicaid fraud unit.

All three Republicans promise to continue a state lawsuit seeking to block President Barack Obama's healthcare plan in Florida.

In the final days, candidates are scrambling for attention, doing radio interviews, waving signs, phoning voters and visiting local party offices.

Bondi did a three-day bus tour from Destin to West Palm Beach.

On the Democratic side, Aronberg and Gelber are matching each other blow for blow as the two South Florida senators seek to distinguish themselves in a tight race where they agree on most issues.

Both Democrats say they will end the healthcare lawsuit, play a more active role in defending consumers and de-politicize the office.

The contest turned negative as Aronberg linked Gelber to the BP oil spill because his former law firm, Akerman Senterfitt, represents the company. Gelber resigned days after he learned of the arrangement, and then responded by linking Aronberg's legislative record to an assortment of special interests that gave him money, particularly his votes to allow phone and insurance companies to raise their rates.

Aronberg's closing argument, as he crisscrosses South Florida in the final days of the primary, taps into the anti-politician voter sentiment and makes the case about who can beat the Republican nominee.

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