Harris expected to run for Graham seat (Katherine Harris for US Senate)

The Hill ^ | November 12, 2003 | Peter Savodnik

[Kuksool]

Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.), the former Florida secretary of state who became a household name during the 2000 Florida post-election recount, is likely to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Bob Graham (D), a GOP official said.

The congresswoman said in a telephone interview from Sarasota, Fla., that she’s mulling her options. Asked if her role in the contested presidential election would help or hinder a Senate race, Harris said she looks forward to telling “the truth about what happened.”

Harris, struggling to regain her voice after a afternoon of Veterans’ Day speeches, also said the country needs to move beyond the recount and focus on terrorism and the economy. “People really seem to be tired of hearing the same kind of ranting,” she said.

Since Graham announced Nov. 3 that he would not seek a fourth term, rumors have been circulating among Republicans that Harris, 46, would run — one year after winning her first term in the House.

A Republican close to the congresswoman said she’s “strongly leaning” toward a Senate bid.

Also, Sarasota investor Richard Angelotti — who gave $500 to Graham’s 1998 Senate race and called himself and his wife, Carol, friends of Harris — indicated that Harris would run.

[Kuksool]

The GOP Senate primary in FL is going to be in the national spotlight.

[concerned about politics]

That would be nice. She undersatands the law. She'd do a great job. She's an extremely qualified woman.

[Theodore R.]

Very often first-term House members who run for the Senate or governor fail. They are seen as opportunistic when they leave the House after one term. Is it wise for Mrs. Harris to give up the House seat so soon to risk a difficult race for the Senate. Shouldn't she wait until 2006 and take on Bill Nelson instead? Conservatives already have excellent choices in Speaker Byrd and state Senator Webster. Byrd or Webster also won't galvanize the anti-Republican opposition to the same degree that Mrs. Harris would.

[conservative_2001]

She would make a terrible candidate. She needed last minute help to get an unimpressive win in her Republican congressional district. Unless the Democrats nominate a true loser like Janet Reno, Alcee Hastings, or a McBride, Harris will lose.

[Kuksool]

The same could be said about Johnnie Byrd. He is a 1st term House Speaker who is running for Senate. Byrd is a very polarizing figure in FL politics too. He likes to remind the RATS of their minority status. However, his diviseness is limited to FL. The diviseness of Katherine Harris is national wide.

[Kuksool]

The likely winner of the RAT primary would be NY transplant Peter Deutsch.

[bluebunny]

Very poor move for her and the GOP.

[rwfromkansas]

Harris is one person that nobody will care is leaving the House for the Senate so quickly.

She is somebody who simply has no chance of losing.

[CyberAnt]

WhoooHoooo!! This is great news!!

[zebrahead]

What about Charlie Christ? Despite losing badly to Graham in 1998, he has rebounded by being elected state Education Commissioner in 2000 and state Attorney General in 2002, each with over 53% of the vote.

[Caipirabob]

I can agree with you to a point, but in Katherine Harris' case, many of us Floridians remember how she stood up for the law in the wake of a rat onslaught to destroy our election process. We are indebted to her (can you say "PRESIDENT AL GORE"? *choke* sorry about breakfast there...)

If'n the lil' lady wants to seat herself in the Senate, many of us are prepared and obliged to hold the door open for her. I'll be sending $'s her way soon enough.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I think Harris is a special case. Her district is pro-Bush and they'll know that Bush supports her candidacy and she has already been elected to statewide office before, in addition to the legislature-- meaning she won't be viewed as getting to big for her britches by voters. She's a perfectly legitimate candidate for Senate and the voters of FL will view her so.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Crist already said no.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Oops. "too"

[caltrop]

No, Katherine Harris should run for Graham's seat and not wait for 2006 to run against Nelson. She's got plenty of backbone, would run a first rate campaign and would almost certainly win - particularly if the Democrats scrape the bottom of the barrel and nominate Deutsch.

At this point, I'm a Byrd supporter but if Harris runs she'd be my first choice.

[Theodore R.]

Can you name a single-term Republican congressman who was elected governor or senator in his next election?

I can think of Sam Brownback, R-KA. Are there others? The first George Bush ran for the Senate in TX after two terms in the House and lost rather handily. Bob Dole had served four terms in the House before he ran for the Senate. Even Nixon served two terms in the House before he won his 1950 Senate race.

[Coop]

Very often first-term House members who run for the Senate or governor fail. They are seen as opportunistic when they leave the House after one term. Is it wise for Mrs. Harris to give up the House seat so soon to risk a difficult race for the Senate. Shouldn't she wait until 2006 and take on Bill Nelson instead? Conservatives already have excellent choices in Speaker Byrd and state Senator Webster. Byrd or Webster also won't galvanize the anti-Republican opposition to the same degree that Mrs. Harris would.

I'm with you. I don't view this potential move as good news for the GOP.

[AuH2ORepublican]

I don't like this one bit. While I think Harris would make a fine Senator, she's such a polarizing figure that there is a chance that she could lose the election and take W. down with her (she's probably one of the 10 most polarizing Republicans nation-wide, even more so than W.; in fact, she could not only cause W. to lose Florida, pictures of the two campaigning together may hurt W. in other states as well). Someone as polarizing as she has become can win a Senate race in Texas or North Carolina, but it's an iffy proposition in Florida. Besides, we need to pare down the list of conservatives running for the nomination, not increase it, or otherwise the moderate Todd will win the nomination by default. Unless we nominate a conservative we will not win the general election, and Harris's entry into the race makes it less likely that we'd nominate a conservative. I still support Daniel Webster for the U.S. Senate, who is even more conservative than Harris but who does not inspire so much hatred or controversy.

[varina davis]

Harris and Clinton in the Senate. I don't like the Harris CFR ties, but that match-up is irresistible.