3rd Republican set to announce campaign for attorney general

By JULIE HAUSERMAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 5, 2001

TALLAHASSEE -- The Republican race for Florida attorney general will become more crowded today when Tom Warner, the state's solicitor general, announces his candidacy.

Warner served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1992 through 1999. He now works hand-in-hand with Attorney General Bob Butterworth as the state's first-ever solicitor general. In that role, the 53-year-old Warner argues constitutional cases on behalf of the state.

Warner will face Charlie Crist, now education commissioner, and state Sen. Locke Burt of Ormond Beach in the Republican primary next year. The only Democrat in the race is state Sen. Buddy Dyer of Orlando.

So far, the only ripple in the race was a disclosure Crist made last week: He said it took him three tries to pass the Florida Bar examination after he got his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Ala., in 1981.

Crist, a former state lawmaker from Pinellas, said his Bar exam experience shouldn't have anything to do with the race for Florida's top legal officer, and that his two failures give him "greater compassion."

Warner said Tuesday that he passed the Bar on his first try. Dyer and Burt also said they passed the Bar on the first try.

Crist is a clear leader in fundraising, with nearly $750,000 in his campaign account compared with $191,485 for Burt and $183,251 for Dyer. Warner hasn't reported any contributions yet.

Burt predicted that Warner might have trouble raising money.

"He's starting out behind," said Burt, who is stumping on a law-and-order platform. Burt said he has been endorsed by 24 sheriffs around the state.

Warner, who is also an adjunct Florida State University law professor, said he sees the state's attorney general as "a champion of the public interest."

Warner plans to make his announcement during a breakfast with supporters at the City Club in Miami. He will hold a 2:30 p.m. news conference in Tallahassee and then a 6:30 p.m. rally in downtown Stuart, where he practiced law for 27 years.

- Times researcher Stephanie Scruggs contributed to this report.

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