FL Gov. Jeb Bush picks major Republican donor to oversee state elections

[seafan]

By John Kennedy
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted December 8 2005

TALLAHASSEE · Gov. Jeb Bush turned to an old family friend and contributor Wednesday to succeed former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood as Florida secretary of state.
Sue Cobb, 68, a Coral Gables lawyer who served as U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica the past four years, will take over as the state's top elections official in January, Bush said.

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Cobb and her husband, Chuck Cobb, also are major Republican donors with ties to the Bush family that stretch back almost 20 years.
"It sends a very bad message," Karen Thurman, chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, said of Cobb's appointment. "She has no experience with elections and her background is with the party. She's a political appointment."

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Federal records show Chuck Cobb has contributed $130,000 to Republicans over the past three years, including $75,000 to the Republican National Committee.

Sue Cobb gave $2,000 to Republican Mel Martinez in his successful U.S. Senate campaign last year, and $2,000 to the governor's brother, President George W. Bush, for his 2004 re-election.

Cobb acknowledged her GOP ties. But she said they would not shape her decisions in a job that drew worldwide attention with Florida's central role in each of the past two presidential elections.

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-fcobb08dec08,0,4662473.story?coll=sfla-news-florida