Rick Dantzler was a United States politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 from Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 and a member of the Democratic Party.

Dantzler served in Florida House of Representatives

Florida House of Representatives

The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...

 from 1983 to 1989 and in Florida Senate

Florida Senate

The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....

 from 1989 to 1999.

Rick Dantzler now heads up the Tampa/Winter Haven, Florida branch of The Business Trial Group of Morgan and Morgan, a commercial contingency law group based in Orlando which specializes in business litigation.

Dantzler is perhaps best known as Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Florida

Lieutenant Governor of Florida

The Lieutenant Governor of Florida is a statewide elected office in the government of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the Florida Constitution, the lieutenant governor is elected to a four-year term congruent with that of the Governor of Florida, and succeeds to the office of Governor if it...

 in 1998 on the ticket headed by then-Lieutenant Governor Buddy MacKay

Buddy MacKay

Kenneth Hood "Buddy" MacKay, Jr. is an American politician and diplomat from Florida. A Democrat, he was briefly the 42nd Governor of Florida following the death of Lawton Chiles on December 12, 1998. During his long public service career he was also state legislator, U.S. Representative, Lt...

. MacKay and Dantzler lost to Republicans

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Jeb Bush

Jeb Bush

John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...

 and Frank Brogan

Frank Brogan

Frank T. Brogan is the current Chancellor of the State University System of Florida and the former President of Florida Atlantic University. He was also the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Florida...

 by 55-44% margin. He is considered a possible 2010 candidate for the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 seat representing Florida's 12th congressional district

Florida's 12th congressional district

Florida's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida that encompasses much of Polk County as well as parts of rural and suburban east Hillsborough County and a small piece of western Osceola County....

.