There may be a nugget a truth to speculation that Senate Republicans are so nervous about the race between Senate President-designate Jeff Atwater and Democratic former Sen. Skip Campbell that they're eyeing who might take Atwater's place if he loses.
Sen. Jim King, the Jacksonville Republican who helmed the chamber in 2003-04, has created a political war chest called the Committee for Keeping Integrity in Government earlier this month and raised $16,000, according to its Web site.
King was just re-elected in 2006 and can't run again, so the need for the account is a bit curious.
Republican Sen. Charles Dean of Inverness has also created a new committee called Nature Coast Conservatives.
Of course, current Senate President Ken Pruitt would be the natural choice to keep the job if Atwater loses to Campbell, one inside source said. He will stay in the chamber for another two years after his presidency, and none of the other returning senators with presidential aspirations (save for King) have been able to build a sustainable majority of pledges from fellow Republican senators while in the chamber.
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