Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp said today he will probably run for attorney general, not governor, as dominoes continue falling across Florida’s 2010 political landscape.

That means Attorney General Bill McCollum, who won’t say officially that he’s running for governor, will probably go for the top prize next week. Kottkamp said he plans to be with McCollum for the announcement of McCollum’s gubernatorial candidacy expected next week in Central Florida.

Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, who is term-limited out of his Cabinet seat next year, is still considering a bid for governor. Like McCollum, he has said he will announce his plans next week.

Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer, who has been working for the past few months to have as few GOP primaries as possible, said Thursday his efforts are making progress. Gov. Charlie Crist’s long-expected announcement that he is running for the U.S. Senate Tuesday touched off the political chain reaction in GOP circles, as Democrats united around Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.

“I anticipate being there on Monday to support this party,” Kottkamp said of McCollum’s plans. “I’ve been by the governor’s side for the last two and a half years and I’ve seen what it takes on a day-to-day basis to be governor, and I think Bill McCollum is capable of doing that.”

Crist said the injustice and arrogance of the situation has angered him, and that he would have a statement on the situation in a few days.

“That concerns me greatly,” Crist said after the meeting. “We want to be a continuing partner to help.”

Earlier this month more than 120 farm workers and protesters rallied at the Capitol and criticized Crist for not meeting with them in person. Crist sent Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon to speak with the group.

Members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers said their meeting with Crist was both cordial and productive.

“It was a very intimate dialogue, but there is a lot of work to do,” said Gerardo Reyes, a CIW member.

The coalition had complained that some workers are forced to work the fields and then chained at night, and they said the workers haven’t received a raise since 1978. They said the average worker makes about $10,000 a year.

They asked Crist to clarify his opposition to such treatment and use his voice to eliminate slavery and low wages.

–Stephen D. Price

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