Florida Senate:Republicans finally supporting Harris

February 14, 2006--In recent weeks, several Republican political leaders in Florida have stopped trying to push Katherine Harris out of the U.S. Senate campaign and decided to support her efforts. Governor Jeb Bush, Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, and members of the state's Congressional delegation have indicated that they will campaign for Harris.

Rank-and-file Republicans have made the adjustment as well. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of GOP voters now plan to vote for Harris in November. That's up from 59% in early January and matches Senator Bill Nelson's support among Democrats.

Overall, however, Harris still trails Nelson by nine percentage points, 49% to 40% (see crosstabs). Among voters not affiliated with either the Republicans or Democrats, Harris trails badly, 64% to 18%.

Forty-four percent (44%) of Florida voters now have a favorable opinion of Harris, up from 34% a month ago. Forty percent (40%) have an unfavorable opinion.

Visit the Rasmussen Reports Election Polls page to see a summary of our latest state-by state polling.

CrossTabs for this survey are available for Premium Forty-seven percent (47%) of Florida voters say economic issues are more important than the War in Iraq. Forty percent (40%) say Iraq is more important.

Visit our Election Polls page to see a summary of our latest state-by state polling. Rasmussen Reports is polling every Senate and Governors' race at least once a month this year.

Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

The Rasmussen Reports ElectionEdgeTM Premium Service for Election 2006 offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a mid-term election. We are polling every Senate and Governor's race at least once a month. We also update the President's Job Approval on a daily basis.

Rasmussen Reports was the nation's most accurate polling firm during the Presidential election and the only one to project both Bush and Kerry's vote total within half a percentage point of the actual outcome.

During Election 2004, RasmussenReports.com was also the top-ranked public opinion research site on the web. We had twice as many visitors as our nearest competitor and nearly as many as all competitors combined.

Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

The telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports February 6, 2006. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4.5 percentage points at the midpoint with a 95% level of confidence (see Methodology).

An overall rating of 90% looks good on paper

You really don't understand the ACU, do you?

tells me she likes to use federal funds for her pet projects. Hence a moderate/conservative.

Yes, she supports spending taxpayer funds for supporting the arts. Not something I support but she does represent the arts capital of Florida so it's not difficult to understand why she does so.

why do we need another pork ridden politician?

You won't get an anti-arts senator with Harris but you will get someone who supports conservative justices to all federal courts, tax cuts, a strong military, family values and a strong foreign policy that involves eliminating islamofascism wherever it exists. You'd ignore all those important facts because she spends to support the arts and won't commit political suicide by voting for drilling off the coast? Now who's being extremist?

Also as long as Harris supports policies of envirowackos

I guess we just define our terms differently.

Preserving SS, wealth distribution, increase funding for an already bloated educational system, siding with environmentalist extremist etc... all screams moderate.

Inferring all that nonsense from her website screams right wing wacko third-party agenda.

Pretty gutless if you ask me but like you believe, must sacrifice principles, which means succumbing to more spending and envirowackism so we can "win".

Gutless? More proof that you have no idea what you're talking about - as if we needed it. Anyone who posts to a thread on KH should at least understand what happened here during the 2000 election. If you did you would use better judgment and refrain from calling her that name which only serves to remove all doubt about your ignorance.

You should probably spend more time on the threads involving Pat Buchanan and other assorted third-party types. There, you'll find many others who share your passion for perfection and getting nothing you want. Like liberals, they believe that you can and should get everything you want and that compromise is something that should never occur in politics. They are an unhappy lot who want power in the worst way but can never seem to obtain any. Lots of bitterness and scorn. You'll feel right at home.

When all those things fall into place, perhaps then I'll start looking for a perfect politician.

Isn't that the best part of being a third-party advocate? You never have to worry about compromising because you'll never have any power. It's easy to stand on the sidelines and criticize when you never had the opportunity, or ability, to play the game.

The unappeasables here regularly claim that they won't be voting republican any more nor will they send any of their hard earned money to the RNC. It's funny to see folks make those kinds of claims when they have been third-party voters and general malcontents most of their adult lives. The perfect candidate (and world) is only attainable in their imaginations which is where, apparently, they choose to live.

Malcontents preach principles but have none in practice. Much easier that way. Trash indeed.

All Harris did in 2000 was follow the law that was set by the Fla. leg. Not that hard plus it was her job being Secretary of State and all. Harris was blasted by the MSM but obviously could read Fla. statutes and executed them.

"Not something I support but she does represent the arts capital of Florida so it's not difficult to understand why she does so."

The heart of the matter, I get it, must pander and take $$$ from others to buy votes. Very conservative philosophy there but thats politics and thats why we pay half to a bloated bureaucracy /s.

"I guess we just define our terms differently."

Locking up natural resources forever seems pretty extreme if you ask me.

And I am not asking for perfection just fiscal responsibility (Military build up/war and natural disasters aside).

All said and done will vote against Nelson. Harris is another treat the symptom type politician, so be it.

"...and won't commit political suicide by voting for drilling off the coast? Now who's being extremist?"

Would not a leader explain basic supply/demand and studies that refutes all those worry warts who think drilling is the equivalent of suicide? Also a perfect way to illustrate how being less reliable to OPEC leads to greater security. Yep, play politics, Republicans are following a vicious cycle again.

What did Reagan do during the eighties? Lead or be led. He nixed Ford due to his convictions and conservatives are going to start nixing Republicans if they go more moderate.

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