Max Linn is an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. He was the Reform Party nominee for governor of Florida in the 2006 election. He was defeated by Republican Charlie Crist.
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In 2003, Linn sold his financial management company to a major New York Stock Exchange firm and retired at age 43. During his 22 year career as a Certified Financial Planner, Max established Linn and Associates, one of the most successful independent financial firms in Florida. His firm specialized in providing financial management advice to corporations, non-profit organizations and individuals. Linn has also written a book entitled, Florida: Leading the Transformation of American Politics.
Linn spearheaded a movement call 8 is Enough that succeeded in passing legislation to limit Florida's governors to only two term limits.
Linn's campaign was managed by Doug Friedline, best known for successfully rocketing professional wrestler Jesse Ventura into the Minnesota governor's office. Friedline, with the help of artist and writer Mark Farinas of Bad Monkey Studios, engineered a campaign based on casting Linn as a superhero who saves little people from the clutches of corrupt government. Several newspaper ads, and television spot, and two viral internet videos were created - all of which matched Linn against rival Republican candidate (and now governor) Charlie Crist in the role of a supervillain. Linn's campaign will probably be best known as Frieline's last as he died two days after the election from a heart attack.
Despite his unorthodox media blitz, Linn gained most of his notoriety among the Florida electorate for an emergency landing he made on an Orlando, Florida highway in October 2006 when a plane he rented had engine difficulties. Linn was not hurt, although he spent a day in the hospital under observation.
Linn filed a lawsuit in state court on October 23, over his exclusion from a debate being sponsored in part by Public Television. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that candidate debates sponsored by Public TV cannot exclude candidates with a substantial campaign. Linn states that he has a real campaign, and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars already on TV advertising, and furthermore has a staff and a campaign headquarters. The case is Linn v Florida Public Broadcasting Service, filed in lower state court in Broward County.
Linn's first attempt to enter the debates was granted by a lower court only to be rejected on appeal 20 minutes before the debate. Linn was successful, however, in participating in the second round of debates.
In 2008 Linn ran for the Democratic nomination in Florida's 10th congressional district[1]. Linn spent $495,000 of his own money on the campaign [2] but failed to secure the Democratic nomination, which went to Bob Hackworth[3].
According to his campaign website, Linn would have taken the following positions as governor: