Putnam Running for Re-election Seeming to End Speculation of Run for Governor

BRADENTON – It seems that Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is running for re-election in 2014. The former Congressman quietly opened a campaign account last month, though he made no formal announcement.

Putnam, who has built a high profile as Ag Commissioner, has strong ties with the Republican legislature and was seen as a possible 2014 primary foe for Governor Rick Scott, whose relationship with state lawmakers has often seemed strained.

Putnam was a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act, which Scott switched positions on, saying he would support the use of federal monies to expand healthcare access to more than a million Floridians currently without.

The legislature failed to support the governor's position and ultimately broke without a Medicaid bill of any sort having been passed. Assuming Putnam stays put, it seems unlikely that the governor will face serious competition for his party's nomination.