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John Frank

John Frank is a freelance writer who covered the Florida governor's race for the St. Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald.

Recent Articles

Florida, Inc.

If a state were a business, CEO Rick Scott would be shown the door.

John FrankJun 09, 2011
(Flickr/Governor Rick Scott)

Florida Gov. Rick Scott's ever present, camera-ready grin masks the strain of an embattled politician. His approval ratings rank at the bottom among the nation's governors, and Democrats are poised to use him as the bogeyman of the 2012 election in a key battleground state. He can't match the always-sunny-in-Florida cheer of his predecessor, Charlie Crist, but Scott rivals any Wall Street CEO's unyielding optimism amid dismal earnings.

"Hey, how's it going? You doing all right?" he says as he smiles and grips a woman's hand.

Scott Free

The Florida governor's race is one of the most important in the nation -- and a low-flying hard-core conservative is looking to win.

John FrankOct 27, 2010
Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Walter Michot)

Three months ago, as his campaign bus traveled along Florida's Gulf Coast, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott took questions for an hour, veering further to the right with each answer.

For the reporters on the bus, it became a bingo of conservative talking points: Arizona-style immigration laws. Federal health-care repeal. Pro-life laws. More offshore oil drilling. And the winning question: "Do you believe in global warming?"

"No," Scott said. Asked to expand, he said, "I have not been convinced."