Bud Chiles, the independent candidate for governor of Florida and a son of the late Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles, has officially announced that he is dropping out of the race — and endorsing the Democratic nominee, state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.
“I need to be able to look people in the face and really believe in my heart that this was a campaign I could win and really be viable,” Chiles told the St. Petersburg Times. “I just got to the point where it was difficult for me to do that.” Chiles also said that he met with Sink, and came away “feeling a whole lot better” about her stances on topics such as children’s issues and small businesses. “It seemed to me like that there was a lot more agreement than I might have thought.”
Chiles said last week that he thought the upset win in the Republican primary by right-wing former health care executive Rick Scott would help his own campaign. However, he also said at the same time that he did not want to be a spoiler who would help elect Scott, already making it clear which candidate he would prefer.
The TPM Poll Average of the (now outdated) three-way race gives Sink the lead with 40.9%, followed by Scott at 36.7%, and Chiles with only 7.7%.
