Miami — Talk show host Rosie O'Donnell sponsored a $250-per-person fund-raiser Sunday for Janet Reno, the former U.S. attorney general and a Democratic candidate for governor.
"When I heard that she was running, I called up her office and told her I would do any and everything I can," O'Donnell said.
O'Donnell was hoping to raise $50,000 for Reno, one of five Democrats attempting to unseat Gov. Jeb Bush.
Asked about her chances of defeating Bush, Reno said bluntly: "I'm going to win."
Both Reno and O'Donnell, a foster parent, said they shared a commitment to helping children.
"It's a big problem in the state of Florida. There are over 3,000 children today available for adoption, free for adoption in the state, in foster custody," O'Donnell said.
"Chances are they will age out of the system, they will go right into welfare and into prison, so we need to do better for this generation of kids."
The comedian owns a home on Miami Beach's Star Island, a gated community along Biscayne Bay.
O'Donnell, an outspoken critic of the National Rifle Assn., has become politically active in Democratic causes and once engaged in a memorable on-air, tense debate on gun control with Tom Selleck.
Analysts said the appearance with O'Donnell could pose problems for Reno when she attempts to court voters in areas composed of gun owners, sportsmen and military personnel.
"Anything that connects Reno to gun control means Democrats lose big in north Florida," said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
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