Alex Sink

Florida Democrat Alex Sink , the state’s chief financial officer, said Wednesday that she will run for governor next year.

Sink’s announcement came one day after Republican Gov. Charlie Crist said he would not run for re-election and instead seek the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican Mel Martinez.  

“Floridians from Pensacola over to Jacksonville and all the way down to Key West are facing enormous challenges,” Sink said in a statement from her campaign. “Each and every day, the global financial crisis tests our families, our economy and our resolve.”