TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - State representative Sean Shaw, a Tampa Democrat and the son of the first black chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, entered the campaign for attorney general Tuesday and took issue with the performance of outgoing attorney general Pam Bondi.
Shaw announced his candidacy outside the Florida Supreme Court, where his father, the late Leander Shaw Jr., was a justice from 1983 to 2003, serving as chief justice from 1990 to 1992.
Shaw says, he's not running against Bondi, but painted himself as the Republican's opposite, saying he would be a "watchdog" on health care, issues involving the LGBTQ community and the opioid epidemic.
"The people of our state should be able to count on their attorney general to protect them and always enforce the rule of law, not to have someone more concerned about how their comments will play out on FOX News," said Shaw. "Soon, they're going to have one."
The Republican Attorneys General Association was quick to label Shaw as quote "an extreme liberal."
Shaw is the 4th member of the state house of representatives to enter the contest, joining republicans Jay Fant, Frank White and Ross Spano.
Former Hillsborough County circuit judge Ashley Moody is also in the running.
