Another LG name surfaces from Miami: School Board's Raquel Regalado

@MarcACaputo

Young. Hispanic. Female. Republican. South Floridian. An education figure.

The descriptors for Miami-Dade School Board member Raquel Regalado make her a natural fit for Gov. Scott to consider as a replacement for Jennifer Carroll, who just resigned her post as Lieutenant Governor amid a scandal connected to an internet-gambling company.

Word of Regalado being approached rippled through Miami City Hall today where her dad, Tomas Regalado, is mayor. Raquel Regalado, who was initially approached Thursday to see if she wanted to be considered, didn't return calls for comment. It's quite a surprise, considering that Regalado supported Alex Sink, Scott's Democratic opponent, in the 2010 governor's race. Months later, Regalado said Miami-Dade would consider suing Scott over his education budget (more about that farther down).

So either bygones are bygones or there's some serious head-faking going on.

In addition to Regalado, Miami state Sen. Anitere Flores is also under consideration. She, too, has education roots, is Hispanic, female and Republican.

See a pattern?

It's a nod to the fact that Scott wants some diversity on the ticket, as he had with Carroll, the first black lieutenant governor. Although Carroll, a Caribbean-American from Trinidad, was primarily chosen to join Scott's ticket in 2010 for two other primary reasons: gender and military background (she was a Navy vet).

With the Hispanic vote growing and highly sought-after, a Hispanic candidate is close to a must for Scott (but it's no guarantee). Regalado has solid name ID in Miami-Dade's Cuban-American circles. Cuban-Americans are a key constituency for Republicans in Florida. And Scott has room for improvement. His mishandling of a Cuba-contracting bill is still fresh in the minds of exile leaders.

Also, though Cuban-Americans are largely Republican voters, they're breaking more and more toward the Democratic Party along with younger voters in Florida. And unlike Flores, Regalado is more centrist (conservatives would say "liberal") in her political leanings.

Education is also a key issue for Scott. It helped kill his poll numbers early in his term when he called for cutting more than $1 billion from schools. Scott has tried to fill the hole (both in education and in his popularity) ever since. Perhaps he realizes that he should have listened to the Regalados of the world when she said his budget plans were worthy of a lawsuit. This year, Scott wants teachers to get a raise. The Legislature will probably say no, but we'll see at session's end, May 3.

By then, Scott will be closer to making a decision on his LG. It's likely he'll decide weeks after the close of the lawmaking session, not immediately afterward. After all, not only is the lawmaking session taxing enough, the post-session period is time-consuming because Scott has to decide what bills to sign, veto or allow to become law.

And if there's one thing Scott learned from choosing Jennifer Carroll, it's that he needs to make the right pick, whether it's Regalado, Flores, a politician from elsewhere in Florida (we've also heard former Fort Lauderdale Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff's name), or perhaps a teacher plucked from the frontlines of education of whom no one in Tallahassee has ever heard.

Comments

[Johnathon]

So what, Scott can get rid of a black woman when she no longer serves his purpose? Next in line to use and ignore is a Cuban woman! Pollsters must have told him that will help get him the Hispanic vote.

So how many African-Americans does he have in high positions? How many women in high positions?

[RichardNx]

They still haven't learned anything after two years. People do not vote for the runningmate---especially for the candidate for Lt. Governor...they vote for the person on the top of the ticket. If Scott wants to win---he needs to hold turn out his base and have a running mate that can help him bash Charlie Crist. It is also insulting for them to think that women will vote for him just because he picked a female running mate--or that Hispanics will vote for him just because he picked a Hispanic running mate....

[whasup]

No politician with a brain would agree to become the light governor until after they see what lame-brained vetoes Scott does after the session.

[Frank]

Only people with a direct personal interest defend Rick Scott. Everyone else sees him for what he is.

[education advocate]

choose carvahlo

[Frank]

They are trying to duplicate the Marco Rubio effect. Lightning doesn't strike twice.

[MIA]

YES YES YES

We love her!