Alex Sink
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Adelaide "Alex" Sink (b. June 5, 1948, in Mount Airy, North Carolina) was a 2014 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 13th Congressional District of Florida.[1][2] She was defeated by David Jolly in the general special election on March 11, 2014.[3]
She was a former Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal for the State of Florida.[4] She was also treasurer of the board of trustees of the Florida State Board of Administration.
She was the 2010 Democratic candidate for Governor of Florida.
Biography
Sink is a native of Mount Airy, North Carolina. She studied mathematics at Wake Forest and made an extensive career in business before moving into public life.
She was working as the president for operations in Florida for Bank of America when Governor Chiles tapped her for the Commission on Government Accountability; she would also serve on the Commission on Education.
Her background includes roles such as:
- Former vice-chair, Florida TaxWatch
- Florida Chapter of the Nature Conservancy
- Beth El Farm Workers Ministry
- Chairman of the Board of the United Way of Hillsborough County
Education
- B.S. in mathematics - Wake Forest
Political career
FL CFO (2007-2011)
Sink was elected Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida in November 2006, becoming the first Democrat to win a cabinet level post. She was sworn in on January 2, 2007, and served until January 4, 2011, shortly after narrowly losing her bid for Governor of Florida to Rick Scott in the 2010 election.
Issues
Immigration reform
When asked about immigration reform at a debate on February 25, 2014, Sink replied, “Immigration reform is important in our country. It’s one of the main agenda items of the beaches chamber of commerce, for obvious reasons. Because we have a lot of employers over on the beaches that rely upon workers and especially in this high-growth environment, where are you going to get people work to clean our hotel rooms or do our landscaping?...And we don’t need to put those employers in the position of hiring undocumented and illegal workers.”[5] Her Republican competitor was quick to pounce.
Jolly responded at a news conference on February 27, 2014, “I think Alex Sink’s comments reflect a bigotry that should disqualify her from representing the people of this community and should disqualify her from serving in the United States Congress. I think it was a disgusting comment.”[5]
Elections
2014
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel reportedly called Sink in March 2014 to discuss plans to run again in November 2014.[6]
“I believe if Alex Sink decides to run, she will win in November. We will do everything — and I mean everything — to support her in that endeavor...I did call her last night and left a message. My message was, I think she ran a great race and if this election were in November versus March, I believe she would have won, and I encouraged her to speak with us about continuing this campaign to victory in November...I have not heard back from her...This is just the day after the special, so we haven’t started thinking about who else may be viable. I am hopeful that Alex and I can talk soon,” Israel said.[6]
On March 13, 2014, Sink said she was "keeping an open mind" about running against David Jolly again in November 2014.[7]
Sink said in a statement on April 15, 2014, that she made a “personal decision” not to run in 2014.[8][9][10][11]
In her statement Sink said, “I look forward to finding new, rewarding avenues where I can continue to effectively serve the people of Florida. I remain totally convinced that a Democrat can and will win this congressional seat in the fall, and I look forward to helping the Democratic nominee.”[8]
Sink ran in the special election for the U.S. House, representing Florida's 13th District.[1][2] Sink ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on January 14, 2014.[12] She was defeated by David Jolly in the general special election on March 11, 2014.[3]
| U.S. House, Florida District 13 General Special Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  David Jolly |
48.5% | 88,294 | |
| Democratic | Alex Sink | 46.6% | 84,877 | |
| Libertarian | Lucas Overby | 4.8% | 8,799 | |
| Total Votes | 181,970 | |||
| Source: Unoffocial Results via Associated Press | ||||
Endorsements
On November 27, 2013, Rep. Kathy Castor announced that she would host a fundraiser for Sink.[13] The event took place on December 17, 2013. Contributions ranged from $5,000 to be a chair, $1,000 to be a host or $250 for admission.[13]
Sink announced on December 19, 2013, an endorsement from Realtors Political Action Committee (RPAC), the political arm of the National Association of Realtors.[14][15] In a statement, Pinellas Realtors Organization chair Brandi Gabbard said Alex Sink’s hard work on housing issues during her business career and her tenure as Florida Chief Financial Officer as the primary reasons for their support.[14]
“Alex Sink has been a strong leader for REALTORS® and homeowners, including leading the charge to ensure that affordable, long-term financing is available to prospective homebuyers. She has a proven record of working with Republicans and Democrats to get results for Florida families,” said Gabbard. "In Congress, I have every confidence Alex Sink will continue to stand up for homeowners and REALTORS® and ensure our voices are heard,” continued Gabbard. “She will protect the mortgage interest deduction and equally important will work to return fairness to the flood insurance market.”[14]
EMILY's List endorsed Sink in the special election. EMILY's List supports women candidates for office that support abortion rights. Previously, EMILY's List had backed Jessica Ehrlich, who was running in the special election. However, her name has since been removed from the site and Sink was officially endorsed.[16]
Other endorsements and contributions came from:[17][18][19]
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- EMILY’s List
- Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
- House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer
- Thew Florida Professional Firefighters
- The International Association of Firefighters Local 747
2010
When Sink first won election as Florida's CFO in November of 2006, she was already being named as a possible Senate and gubernatorial contender. With regard to the governor race, Sink initially said she would reassess the political landscape after the first of the year. She at first decided to pursue re-election; however, Charlie Crist's retirement and the subsequent open seat for governor persuaded her to change her plans.
Sink defeated Brian Moore in the August 24 primary, winning with 76.90% of the vote.
Sink was defeated by Republican Rick Scott in the general election on November 2, 2010.[20]
| Florida Gubernatorial/Lt. Gubernatorial General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Rick Scott/Jennifer Carroll |
48.9% | 2,619,335 | |
| Democratic | Alex Sink/Rod Smith | 47.7% | 2,557,785 | |
| Independent | Peter L. Allen/John E. Zanni | 2.3% | 123,831 | |
| No Party Affiliation | C.C. Reed/Larry Waldo, Sr. | 0.4% | 18,842 | |
| No Party Affiliation | Michael E. Arth/Al Krulick | 0.3% | 18,644 | |
| No Party Affiliation | Daniel Imperato/Karl Behm | 0.3% | 13,690 | |
| No Party Affiliation | Farid Khavari/Darcy G. Richardson | 0.1% | 7,487 | |
| Write-in | Josue Larouse/Valencia St. Louis | 0% | 121 | |
| Total Votes | 5,359,735 | |||
| Election results via Florida Department of State | ||||
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Sink and her late husband, Bill McBride, have one son and one daughter. Bill was an attorney and previously ran unsuccessfully for Florida's Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2002.[21]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Alex + Sink + Florida + Chief + Financial + Officer"
See also
- Florida Chief Financial Officer
- Governor of Florida
- Florida gubernatorial election, 2010
- Florida's 13th Congressional District special election, 2014
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial (federal level):
- Financial (state level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Politico, "Alex Sink announces for Bill Young Florida seat," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tampa Bay Times, "Alex Sink 'very interested' in C.W. Bill Young's House seat," accessed October 23, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Associated Press, "U.S. House - District 13 - General," accessed March 11, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Washington Times, "Democrat slammed for stereotyping immigrants as maids," accessed March 4, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Roll Call, "Steve Israel Lobbies Alex Sink to Run in the Fall," accessed March 13, 2014
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Sink: 'Open mind' on November run," accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 USA Today, "Alex Sink decides against Florida rematch for Congress," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Alex Sink won't challenge David Jolly for District 13 seat in November," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Alex Sink will not run for Congress again," accessed April 15, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Politico, "Alex Sink won’t run again in Florida district," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "Florida - Summary Vote Results," January 14, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Tampa Bay Tribune, "Castor to raise $$ for Sink," accessed November 27, 2013
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Tampa Bay NewsWire, "Alex Sink announces REALTOR® support for U.S. House election," accessed December 23, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets, "National Assn of Realtors," accessed December 23, 2013
- ↑ Roll Call, "EMILY’s List Backs Sink After Ditching Ehrlich in Florida Special Election," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "David Jolly wins GOP primary in Florida," accessed January 14, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Fla.’s Alex Sink dominating cash race vs. GOP," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Sunshine State News, "Business, Union Groups Rally Behind Pinellas County Special Election Candidates," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Governor and Lieutenant Governor: General Election," accessed November 8, 2010, November 29, 2010, and December 21, 2010
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Bill McBride, 67, former candidate for governor and husband of Alex Sink, dies of heart attack," December 24, 2012
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