For some, the Florida attorney general’s position may be seen as just another political stepping stone to bigger and better offices.
For Sen. Dave Aronberg, it’s his dream job.
“The revolving door of professional politicians has to end,” he said. “This is not Plan B. This is my passion.”
Speaking before a crowd of about 25 people at the Reitz Union, Aronberg, who is vying for the Democratic nomination this August, made a promise to those present.
“If you get me through this primary, we’re going to win this thing,” he said. “We’re going to win this together.”
The discussion was part of Aronberg’s two-day visit to Gainesville. He also spoke at the Lubavitch-Chabad Jewish Student & Community Center and the Florida College Democrats’ spring convention.
Aronberg, who at 38 is the youngest member of the Florida Senate, believes that his experience, particularly his tenure under Attorney General Bob Butterworth, makes him the ideal candidate.
Currently, Aronberg is facing Florida Sen. Dan Gelber in the Democratic primary, which is slated to occur Aug. 24. If nominated, he will go up against either Jeff Kottkamp, Holly Benson, Pam Bondi or Jim Lewis.
Although he is confident about his chances, Aronberg refused to look forward, saying that he will take his campaign one step at a time.
“The political graveyard is strewn with people who looked ahead,” he said.
Calling the recent passage of Florida Senate Bill 6 “blatantly unconstitutional,” Aronberg said that if elected attorney general, he would not defend future lawsuits against the bill.
“If you love the FCAT, you’ll love Senate Bill 6,” he said. “It’s the FCAT on steroids.”
Senate Bill 6, which passed the Florida House of Representatives last week, introduced a system of merit pay for Florida’s teachers.
John Fox, a political science graduate student, was impressed by Aronberg and believes that he has the ability to relate to students.
“He’s clearly one of the brightest politicians in the state of Florida, and he’ll get the job done,” Fox said. “Dave Aronberg was born to be attorney general.”
