Sink is the first official candidate to declare for the race. Sink announces for Young Fla. seat

Florida Democrat Alex Sink has officially thrown her hat into the ring in the race to replace the late Rep. Bill Young in Congress.

The former Florida chief financial officer told the Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday that she is searching for a home in Pinellas County and will mount a campaign.


Sink, who recently ruled out another bid for governor, told the Times that she wanted to fix Washington.

“Washington’s broken. And I, like everybody else I know, is angry and mad about the logjam, about shutting down the government, about not understanding the impact it was going to have on small businesses and people. The people up there just don’t seem to be able to work together,” Sink said.

Sink is the first official candidate to declare for the race.

The National Republican Congressional Committee wasted no time in targeting Sink, launching a website and search ads attacking her record.

“How can Florida families trust Alex Sink in Washington when she wasted their money at home with no remorse? After wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars as the chief financial officer for Florida through risky investments and losing billions through Florida’s state pension fund, it’s clear that Sink has no problem hurting Florida seniors and families,” NRCC spokeswoman Katie Prill said in a statement. “Floridians can’t trust Alex Sink’s poor judgment in Congress.”

Meanwhile the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee praised Sink’s entry into the race.

“Alex Sink’s results-oriented approach, business background and deep commitment to solving problems would help change the way Washington does business so that we can work together on creating jobs,” DCCC Chairman Rep. Steve Israel said in a statement. “As a business leader and Florida’s chief financial officer, Alex Sink has shown she’s a problem solver with a record of working with Democrats and Republicans to get results, grow our economy and help businesses create jobs – exactly the values and skills which are so missing from the dysfunctional Congress in Washington.”

Election officials are eyeing a January primary and March special election to fill Young’s seat. Whoever wins will have to run again for a full term the following November.

Young died nearly two weeks ago at age 82. He was the House’s longest-serving Republican.