Poll Tests The Waters For Allan Bense Senate Run (FL)

Tampa Bay Online ^ | April 13, 2006 | William March

[Clintonfatigued]

A national Republican polling firm did a survey in Florida last week testing how state House Speaker Allan Bense would fare against Bill Nelson in the U.S. Senate race.

The outcome of the poll isn't known publicly.

The fact that it was done suggests Bense may be considering entering the race, or that an interest group with money to spend wants to find out how he would do.

[oceanview]

we need a celebrity to run - like Gloria Estefan or something.

[Clintonfatigued]

Allan Bense may be the GOP's last chance of unseating Bill Nelson.

[Clintonfatigued]

That's an interesting. Maybe Estefan could pull an Arnold and terminate Nelson. But I don't see it happening.

[darkwing104]

Who?

I know who, I live here and you don't hear much about the Speaker on the news...

[zbigreddogz]

Any credible person (i.e. not Harris) could step up and win this.

Harris numbers are so bad and her campaigning so inept, I'm actually thinking that the the 'the primary is unwinnable' might be wrong.

Money would POUR into anybody who ran against her in the primary, and the person could run as "I can beat Nelson and Harris can't." It worked for Mel Martinez. Granted, McCollum didn't have the following that Harris does, but his poll numbers weren't nearly as bad either.

[Clintonfatigued]

Allan Bense keeps a low profile. But I think he has great potential.

[clintonh8r]

How about Tommy Franks? Unfortunately he hasn't shown any apparent interest in running.

[zbigreddogz]

Do you have any idea why none of the losers from 2004 primary aren't back?

I mean, I know that McCollum is finished, but Byrd or the other Galligher shouldn't be.

[Clintonfatigued]

Tom Gallagher wants to be Governor.

Incidentally, there was a Strategic Vision poll on March 31 which gave Nelson a 56% to 28% lead over Katherine Harris. The same poll showed Nelson leading Bense by a 48% to 35% margin, even though Bense is little-known.

[fieldmarshaldj]

From what I understand, Mrs. Estefan is a Conservative Republican with an attractive (and heroic) family profile. Her father, I read, spent 18 months as a political prisoner of Castro's.

[John Geyer]

I really wished that Harris wasn't so abused by the media, but as it stands, she can't win. But people don't deserve to be put through the meat grinder. It's sad that she probably would have been a great candidate was it not for the 2000 election.

[zbigreddogz]

Yah, I know Tom Galligher wants to be Governor, but I mean the OTHER Galligher. His brother ran for Senate in 2004. I think he came in 3rd after Martinez and McCollum.

I wouldn't be at all surprised over those numbers.

You could put any generic Republican up on the ballot and he'd be doing better then Harris.

Joe Q. Public, say, a budget analyist at a local business firm, or a samll time lawyer, or a local College Professor, or heck, a High School Gym Teacher, with a history of political involvement, would do better then Harris.

[zbigreddogz]

I doubt it.

If it weren't for the 2000 election, nobody would know her, and any one of 20 better candidates wouldn't be afraid run against her and win in the primary.

[Clintonfatigued]

Allan Bense is a respected legislator with his own personal fortune to tap into and a Horatio Alger-type bio. At this point, I think he's the GOP's last chance.

[zbigreddogz]

Hope he does.

I just can't figure out what exactly Harris is hearing. Is nobody willing to tell her the obvious? Has she COMPLETELY surrounded herself with 'yes' men and women?

You would think she'd get the clue when half her staff quits and even freaking National Review tells her to quit. Have they EVER done that before?

[Clintonfatigued]

I don't understand it myself. But she must be surrounded by people who only tell her what she wants to hear. After all, the professionals have all walked out.

[Always Right]

I really wished that Harris wasn't so abused by the media, but as it stands, she can't win. But people don't deserve to be put through the meat grinder. It's sad that she probably would have been a great candidate was it not for the 2000 election.

A lot of people never gave her a fair chance, inluding many Republicans. It seems right when she started to gain some ground, everything blew up. Harris had a chance, but I think that chance is gone. Bense will have a better chance.

[morgan22]

I live in Tallahassee Florida and want to add a comment about Katherine Harris. She should be honored by our party members for the heroic role she played in the Al Gore fiasco. Had it not been for her, the predominately liberal and democrat appointees to the Florida Supreme Court would have allowed the Dems to cherry pick the counties to do the ballot recounts. She did that job honorably and helped to prevent Al Gore being given the State's electoral votes when he in fact lost as proved by many newspaper audits. Why don't we support our own and protect them from the evil ones that will never support one that is effective against them. Dems always seem to support their members even when they've done something latently criminal. Katherine Harris would be a wonderful fighter for our conservative causes.

[Always Right]

She should be honored by our party members for the heroic role she played in the Al Gore fiasco.

Harris is an absolute class act, and our country is indebted to her. It is too bad she will never be Senator. I was pulling for her up until the last round of polling, but the writing is on the wall.