Jeff Kottkamp

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, a former North Fort Myers legislator, confirms that he intends to take the plunge Monday morning and file his papers to run for attorney general.

When he does, the Republican who at one time was eyeing the governor’s race, becomes the immediate frontrunner for the Cabinet post.

The only other Republican officially in the race is Fort Lauderdale attorney Jim Lewis.

Kottkamp, 48, will likely face one of two Democratic legislators in the general election, Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres, whose district also includes Lee County, and Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach.

Look for Kottkamp to tout his sponsorship of anti-crime measures when he served in the House from 2000 to 2006, and his current role overseeing the governor’s office of adoption, his chairmanship of the quasi-governmental economic development arm, Space Florida, and the newly created Children’s Cabinet.

He’ll also seek to downplay his use of state aircraft and an ongoing ethics investigation. The same formal complaints also cloud the campaigns of Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the two leading candidates for governor.

One of the reasons Gov. Charlie Crist chose Kottkamp as a running mate was his solid credentials with Christian conservatives, who were skeptical of Crist’s moderate, bipartisan reputation. Kottkamp was also valued for his low-key style, one that makes him unlikely to upstage his boss.

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, a Republican from West Miami who is running in the race against Crist for the U.S. Senate, has denied Washington beltway reports that he is considering switching races and challenging Kottkamp in the primary.