Posted on 08/31/2004 6:36:55 PM PDT by Theodore R.
Aug 31, 9:06 PM EDT
Castor wins Senate nomination; Martinez leads GOP race
By STEVEN WINE Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) -- Betty Castor won the Democratic nomination Tuesday for the Senate seat being vacated by a retiring Bob Graham, and Mel Martinez led the Republican race in a primary election that tested Florida's much-maligned voting system.
Castor, a former state education commissioner and university president, led U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch by nearly a 3-to-1 margin with half the precincts reporting. Castro had 64 percent of the votes to 23 percent for Deutsch. Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas was third with 9 percent.
Martinez, a former Bush administration housing secretary, had 43 percent of the vote to 33 percent for former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum. Businessman Doug Gallagher ran third with 12 percent.
The primary election brought fresh scrutiny to Florida's revamped voting process nearly four years after the presidential election fiasco that made the state a national laughingstock.
The Secretary of State's Office reported no major problems, even in populous Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties or in Southwest Florida, where damage caused by Hurricane Charley forced many voters to cast ballots at new polling places.
Former state Rep. Connie Mack IV took a big lead in his bid to win the Republican nomination for the southwest Florida seat his father held before becoming a two-term senator. With seven of 260 precincts reporting, Mack had 51 percent, while Fort Myers state Rep. Carol Green ran second with 23 percent.
The race was among four GOP and six Democratic congressional primaries on ballots.
Voters responded to Castor's centrist message, supporting the expansion of health care, high-tech jobs and help to families of soldiers in Iraq. She won despite accusations by Deutsch that she did little to condemn a University of South Florida professor with alleged ties to terrorists.
The Republicans' narrow 51-48 advantage in the Senate ensures national attention for the race to succeed Graham, a Democrat and perhaps the state's most popular politician. Most political experts believe Graham would have easily won re-election, but they expect a tight race to determine his successor.
Florida is one of just eight states with an open Senate seat.
There were contests for 35 state House seats and three state Senate seats. In 18 of the House primaries and one Senate primary, the winner will be awarded the seat because the opposing party didn't field a candidate.
Theresa LePore, the Palm Beach County elections supervisor who developed the butterfly ballot that gained infamy in the 2000 presidential recount, monitored the touchscreen voting there while also bidding for re-election.
Leading in his bid for re-election was Circuit Judge George Greer of Pinellas County, who twice ruled that the husband of a brain-damaged woman could remove her feeding tube against the wishes of her parents. His opponent in the nonpartisan contest, Jan Govan, appealed to anti-abortion groups that have taken up the cause of Terri Schiavo's parents.
With 30 percent of the precincts reporting, Greer had 64 percent of the vote.
There were reports of scattered minor difficulties with tabulations. In Volusia County, scanners that read paper ballots needed repair in five precincts but were fixed within half an hour, Supervisor of Elections Deanie Lowe said.
Voter rights groups closely monitored the performance of touchscreen machines introduced after the 2000 election to replace punch cards that delayed the outcome of the presidential race for more than a month. Nathan Richter, a spokesman for People for the American Way's Election Protection coalition, said his group of 300 volunteers found the process to be relatively smooth.
"It looks, generally speaking, like there were no major problems," Richter said. "Election officials everywhere seemed to be willing to work with our people."
The Republican Senate race grew tense in the final week, with McCollum calling on Martinez to repudiate a campaign mailing that called McCollum "the new darling of the homosexual extremists" because he supported a hate crime bill that included protection for gays along with racial and other minorities.
Martinez, who was encouraged to run by the White House, was trying to become the first Cuban-American U.S. senator.
© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
"Castro" what a great name!!!
Nice to see Peter Douchebag get his hairy ass spanked. Especially since Alcee Hastings is his biggest supporter.
What's the outlook for the General Election?
Terri ping! I know it's not final, but it looks pretty bad for Govan right now.
Thanks, Theodore!
I guess the Republican voters of Pinellas and Pasco counties just want an incumbent widely identified as a "Republican" regardless of his liberal judicial philosophy.
It seems that way.
He also had Michael F-ING Moore verbally endorse him in his commercial. D'oh! Ass kicked.
The St. Petersburg Times (aka West Coast Pravda) is apparently worried that Mel Martinez has a good chance to beat "Jihad Betty" Castor, because they tried to sabotage his campaign by yanking their endorsement of him at the last minute, (IMO the only reason they endorsed him in the first place was so they could pull this little stunt) and instead endorsed McCollum, whom they feel Jihad Betty can handle in the general.
Nice to see that the voters apparently saw through this ploy, and we may even have to thank the Pravda for driving up Mel's numbers - the polls showed McCollum and Martinez to be deadlocked.
They are totally unaware of the true nature of the story. The news says stuff like "Brain damaged woman in privacy case - her husband wants the life support removed and Jeb Bush and the legislature interfered." Rarely are the parents mentioned or shown. The implication is that Terri is comatose, on tons of expensive life support, and the government is interfering in family business against their will.
I have never seen a judge down here removed - people will keep them in if they've let murderers out of prison - which some of them have done.
Also, Greer ran tons of high quality commercials, and had the establishment backing, and newspaper backing. Govan I never even saw a commercial or sign until the day of the election. And the commercial looked homemade.
I had a prolife person in the republican party tell me to "vote my conscience" on this, which was code that he was voting for Greer. I proceeded to give him some specifics of the case, which he seemed unfamiliar with, but I could tell he had already made up his mind. Greer is a "really nice guy" he told me, "and very well respected, conservative, and follows the law".
Michael is a demon from hell. I just don't know how he can be brought to justice for what he has done. I know one day he will face the Great Judge guilty of murder, but that won't save Terri now.
A guy running for judge RAN COMMERCIALS?
What BS. I don't think I've ever seen that before.
Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks that Your good and perfect will cannot be thwarted, and this we must claim by faith, for the one for whom we prayed has been denied his office. Thank You for these dear ones who have worked long and hard to see the election of one who holds as precious the life of this mother's child. Shower blessings upon them, O God, for their cause is just. We continue to look to You that Terri's life will be spared ... that court-sanctioned murder will be denied ... that You will yet call her forth from her dungeon in hell, that she might be warmed in the sunlight of her family's love. In the Name of Jesus, we praise You for all who have expended their time and talents for Terri. Amen ...
I know. I was surprised too. It made me think he might be in trouble. Guess I was wrong.
They were good commercials too, touting all his endorsements and people talking about how honest he was. But reading Terri's site you can see otherwise. He shares in Michael's guilt for the murder of his wife, as far as I can see.
I just don't understand why the Republican Party would support someone who is directly responsible for the attempted murder by the state of an innocent woman.
Obviously a typo. However, I wonder if Castor's name can be used against her...just a thought.
Mel's going to sweep the Cuban vote so there's not much point in Castrocizing Castor.
Actually, a Clinton-Kerry Democrat operative-journalist, the popular Eleanor Clift of Newsweek, answered your question last week on "The McLaughlin Group," PBS. She said the GOP just endorses "prolife" in platforms but does nothing to further the cause and has no intention of doing so. It's a wink-and-nod strategy, she said. The fact that the partial birth abortion ban has thus far apparently halted not one abortion fits into her theory.
Pegita, you're right. We cannot depend on deceitful politicians or ignorant voters -- but only on the Almighty.
Pegita, thank you for always being here with inspirational prayers. You lift my spirits, and boost my faith, at times when that's a real challenge.
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