TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- At Tampa City Hall, the mayor's office is rejecting a story that claims he's shopping himself for the number two spot on a potential Democratic ticket.
A story on the Tampa Bay Beat blog asserts that Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who's term limited out of his current office, has reached out to at least two of the Democrats running for governor, offering to join their tickets as a candidate for lieutenant governor. It claims Buckhorn has spoken with former Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine and former congresswoman Gwen Graham about joining their tickets. According to the story, Buckhorn and St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman are on Graham's shortlist.
Ashley Bauman, a spokesperson for Buckhorn, accuses Jim Bleyer of running a blog full of "inaccurate and incendiary comments." Her full statement:
“Mayor Buckhorn continues to focus on leading the City of Tampa during these exciting times. Inaccurate and incendiary comments by this individual are the norm and not the exception”.
Buckhorn had considered running for governor in 2018, but decided against it, saying he wanted to be there for the milestones in the lives of his two young daughters.
Here's the link to the original story, which was picked up by Sunshine State News:
http://tampabaybeat.info/index.php/2018/07/22/tampa-mayor-buckhorn-actively-seeking-lt-gov-slot/
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