George Bush may have won Florida by a relatively comfortable margin in November, but that doesn't mean the state won't be hotly contested next year. As the St. Petersburg Times reports, the state's senior Senator has just announced that he will seek a second term, making the race one of the premier campaigns in the nation.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, long rumored to be considering a run for governor of Florida when Gov. Jeb Bush steps down next year, said Wednesday he will not, and instead will seek re-election to the Senate in 2006.

"I love the Senate. I have hit my stride," Nelson, a Democrat, said in a meeting with reporters Wednesday evening. "I love the senators; I love having the privilege of representing the people of Florida in the Senate.

"I'm running for re-election, and the good Lord willing and the people willing, I'm going to continue to represent Florida."

With the Senate race heating up, it appears as though the gubernatorial race could be one to watch this year as well. The Miami New Times reports that a Kennedy heir might be in the mix to succeed Jeb Bush.

"My whole life I was introduced as someone else," Anthony Kennedy Shriver quipped to the well-heeled crowd before him at a Toronto benefit dinner this past fall for his Best Buddies foundation. "I grew up the nephew of President Kennedy. Then I was the nephew of Senator Kennedy. Then I was the son of Sargent Shriver," he continued wryly. "Now I'm the brother-in-law of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Well, I have good news for you all: I continue to be a Democrat. I'm not a Republican!"

As comforting as that declaration might be to long-time admirers of the Kennedy clan, it's even more reassuring to Democratic Party officials. Shriver, who has called Miami Beach home since 1992, is increasingly looking like the Democrats' best chance for taking Florida's gubernatorial seat from the term-limited Jeb Bush in 2006. And though that election might still be nearly two years away, party insiders, desperate for some new blood and fresh faces worthy of the national stage, are already trying to persuade Shriver to commit to running.

Check out the whole piece -- it's well-worth reading with interesting information on this rising star in the Democratic party and an interview to boot.