PANAMA CITY, Fla. In what has been called the Year of the Woman, Gwen Grahams six-year-old Chevy Equinox might have been delivering her to Floridas governors mansion on cruise control.

Tall, personable and telegenic, the former north Florida congresswoman is the only female running in either party for the states top job. She also happens to be the daughter of Bob Graham, the two-term former governor and three-term former U.S. senator who remains the most popular political figure in the state. The name recognition and fundraising connections alone are easily worth many millions.

On top of that, her Democratic opponents in the Aug. 28 primary include a mayor whose city government is under FBI investigation, an unknown Orlando entrepreneur, and two wealthy businessmen who, until recently, both had kind words for President Donald Trump . One is an active member of Trumps exclusive Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.

But Graham hasnt been cruising toward anything. After a year of campaigning, only in recent weeks has she started opening a small lead over her Democratic opponents.

Some of this is attributable to the personal wealth of three of her rivals, and their willingness to part with substantial chunks of it to further their political campaigns. It is a five-candidate field with three self-funding candidates, said Mac Stipanovich, a Republican consultant who was once Gov. Bob Martinez chief of staff.

And then there is the other part of it: Her relative moderation does not excite the left wing of the party, Stipanovich said.