Democrat Earle Ford is dropping his bid for Florida’s 13th Congressional District and instead running for Chief Financial Officer, describing his political shuffle not as dropping out, but as “stepping up” to serve statewide.

“I believe this decision gives me the opportunity to improve the daily lives of Floridians by fighting to lower costs, tackle the insurance crisis, save taxpayer money, and restore accountability in Tallahassee,” Ford said. “It also allows Democrats in FL-13 to unite early, avoid a costly and divisive primary, focus our resources, and win back this critical seat.”

Ford, a U.S. Army veteran, had been running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. But with the entrance of Leela Gray into the race, the path to the Democratic nomination became more difficult. Ford had raised nearly $600,000 for his CD 13 race, a respectable sum at this point in the campaign, but had spent most of it.

Meanwhile, Gray announced this week she had raised $100,000 in the 10 days following Gov. Ron DeSantis approving a GOP-friendly congressional map, bringing her total fundraising to about $661,000. As of the end of March, Gray had about $500,000 still on hand. With the self-reported $100,000 raised since then, her cash on hand could be as much as $600,000. Ford, meanwhile, had just over $44,000 on hand as of the end of March.

Democrats had failed to identify a viable candidate for CFO, to take on incumbent Republican Blaise Ingoglia. POLITICO reported last month that at least one Democratic operative viewed the lack of a major candidate in the CFO and Agriculture Commissioner races as a missed opportunity.

Ford enters the CFO race with support from Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

“Florida’s Cabinet has been dominated by Ron’s culture wars and his appointed goons like Blaise, with no real solutions to Florida’s property insurance crisis,” Fried said.

“As a veteran, former prosecutor, and federal IRS watchdog, Earle Ford has firsthand experience exposing fraud, holding the powerful accountable, and serving with integrity. He understands that when the system fails to serve the people, that system is broken and needs a strong leader to fix it. We’re proud of Earle’s leadership in stepping up for this fight and welcome him to the CFO race.”

Ford’s calculation to run where there wasn’t already a viable Democrat in the race may have been premature, however. Former state Sen. Annette Taddeo is expected to join the CFO race soon. Sources tell Florida Politics internal polling shows her well positioned to take on Ingoglia.

Nevertheless, Ford said he believes he has the experience to lead as CFO.

“I have spent my life holding powerful interests accountable and standing up for people who too often get left behind. Now, I look forward to bringing that same accountability, balance, and backbone to Tallahassee,” he said.

“On day one, I will use my experience to tackle Florida’s insurance crisis, root out corruption, protect taxpayer dollars, and maximize transparency so Floridians can trust that their money is being spent wisely and their government is working for them.”

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