Sen. Paula Dockery, who is filing papers today to run for governor, said this morning that she’s “not getting in the race to run against anybody; I’m getting in the race to offer voters the opportunity to have a different choice. “

Dockery’s decision means an unwelcomed primary challenge for Attorney General Bill McCollum, who has so far raised a total of $1.9 million in the 2010 race.

Asked if she intends to spend some of her wealth to narrow the fundraising gap, she said, “let’s see how well I do at fundraising. Certainly we can put money in to get started, but I want this to be a campaign for the people and by the people. And from the number of requests I was getting to run, I think there are going to be a lot of people willing to put money into the race. They’re not going to be the big money people, but every dollar you raise from somebody is a vote you’re going to get from them.”

The state GOP had hoped to avoid a primary in the governor’s race, but Dockery, R-Lakeland, said she is hearing from people around the state urging her to run. It’s her first statewide run for office, meaning that name recognition will pose serious challenges for her. But Dockery said she already has about 800 volunteers from around the state.

Dockery, 48, has been in the state Senate since 2002 but is little known outside her district. She’ll begin the race as a distinct underdog to McCollum, who’s running his fourth statewide campaign.

She’s married to C.C. “Doc” Dockery, a wealthy businessman and long-time, high-level Republican Party activist and donor who’s not reluctant to spend his own money to bankroll political causes. In 2000, he spent nearly $3 million promoting a constitutional amendment to start a high-speed rail system in Florida; in 2004, he spent nearly $800,000 more unsuccessfully trying to prevent repeal of the amendment.

Stay tuned for more updates on the primary challenge later today.

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