Posted on 08/09/2006 5:08:17 AM PDT by Happy Valley Dude
Tom Gallagher is weighing whether to drop out of the governor's race to help his supporters rally around his rival in the GOP primary. BY MARY ELLEN KLAS meklas@MiamiHerald.com
TALLAHASSEE - Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher is considering dropping out of the race at the urging of top advisors who want time to make peace with his front-running GOP rival, his close associates have told The Miami Herald.
Gallagher, whose fundraising and poll numbers have remained stagnant, is taking the advice seriously but has not made up his mind, his advisors said. What is clear is that Gallagher did not expect such a ferocious challenge from his affable opponent, Attorney General Charlie Crist, who has surged ahead in the polls by studiously avoiding conflict.
Gallagher has complained to friends that when Crist is forced to take a position, he often cribs Gallagher's policy proposals: ''He uses my words and ideas and says it better than I do,'' a frustrated Gallagher told one friend.
Gallagher's campaign said Tuesday that the candidate is considering all his options:
''Tom is evaluating -- with his family and his friends -- what is best for him and what is best for the Republican Party,'' said Gallagher spokesman Alberto Martinez.
This is not what Florida's top Republicans expected when they came through with nearly $9 million in contributions for the chief financial officer and lined up endorsements from the party's religious conservative wing.
Now, with Gallagher as much as 20 percentage points behind in recent polls and down by more than $2 million, many of those same people are getting cold feet. Some want Gallagher to bow out of the race to give high-profile supporters time to position themselves within the Crist campaign and allow Republicans to save their resources for the general election.
`A LOT OF PRESSURE'
''He is under a lot of pressure from a lot of divergent groups,'' said Tom Slade, former chairman of the state Republican Party who said he was among those who have talked to Gallagher about getting out of the race.
Among those who are pressuring Gallagher, Slade said: ``Most of his heavy contributors who would feel very good about the opportunity to make good on the other side.''
Over the weekend, Gallagher met with some of his closest advisors in a series of one-on-one conversations in which they discussed the fate of his candidacy.
In addition to Slade, Gallagher has spoken with former Republican Party chairman Al Cárdenas and political consultant David Johnson, neither of whom would discuss their conversations with The Miami Herald.
Cárdenas did say Gallagher has not made up his mind yet on whether to leave the race and will not decide until new polls assess how well his latest round of ads are doing at moving voters.
''Today is not a day when he's seriously contemplating leaving the race,'' Cárdenas said Tuesday. ``It will probably be next week before it's fair for the Gallagher campaign to make an evaluation of where they stand in the race.''
Cárdenas and Slade said they will support whatever decision Gallagher makes.
The choice before Gallagher is whether to stay in the race and lose nobly, requiring both him and Crist to follow through with plans to spend another $4 million on TV ads before the Sept. 5 primary, or drop out now.
If Gallagher leaves the race, his name would still appear on the ballot, but his supporters could join the Crist bandwagon and jockey to become among Tallahassee's elite if Crist wins the election in November.
Gallagher himself ruled out the third option -- pulling down Crist's poll numbers by launching negative television ads -- months ago. At the time, Gallagher announced that neither he nor the third-party political groups that back him would resort to nasty television ads.
Gallagher has not wavered from that decision, and Crist's political advisors have warned they will return fire fiercely if Gallagher should.
Gallagher continued moving ahead with his campaign strategy Tuesday, visiting newspaper editorial boards while his campaign launched a second ad on Spanish-language television in Miami, featuring popular U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami.
Meanwhile, Gallagher is being urged to stay in the race by members of his campaign staff and his wife Laura, Slade said.
'I talked to his campaign a couple of days ago and they said: `We've got the tools to stay in it,' '' Slade said. 'He would not surprise me at all if he were to say: `This is a Republican primary, I've got a legitimate right to be in it and Charlie could stub his toe.' ''
The reality, Slade said, is that Gallagher faces long odds.
''He's got a pretty good deficit in both money and voters and that is not the recipe that winning political candidates seek,'' Slade said.
``He's also running against what some have called the best retail politician they've ever seen.''
As the week goes on, the window is closing for Gallagher to drop out and still protect his supporters if he were to lose, sources said.
MOMENTUM LOSS
Crist campaign advisor Mac Stipanovich said that while he would prefer to have Gallagher drop out early to allow the Crist campaign to ''meld the campaign staff, have sit-downs and retool county organizations,'' the downside is the loss of the after-primary momentum of a competitive victory.
''We lose the slingshot effect from the election night victory -- and all that goes with it -- particularly with a candidate that was once perceived to be very formidable,'' Stipanovich said.
Much of Gallagher's decision will depend on how far he wants to go to help his friends make a soft landing if his campaign fails.
''It's a decision Tom Gallagher has got to make and nobody can push him,'' Slade said. ``He's not pushable.''
ping
CRIST is the next Governor!
Today's Tampa Tribune, Metro Section August 9, 2006: Charlie Crist's dad handles Charlie's checkbook. I don't know any fifty year old whose parent handles their checkbook and finances. What kind of 50 year old does that? Same article: Charlie Crist sunbathes on the top of the roof at his St. Pete condo to get tan. What a narcissist. No wonder he looks older than Gallagher.
Seen dating Katie Pemble a banker. LOL Maybe Katie can show Charlie how to write a check or how to bank on line. Charlie's dad shouldn't be handling Charlie's finances. A fifty year old man doesn't even handle his own money and he doesn't own a home.
Bill Clinton didn't own a home either.
What kind of fifty year old who's supposed to be governor material doesn't handle their own finances? He's not a grownup unless his stops sunbathing and takes care of his own finances. I certainly don't want him delving into matters of finance when his daddy still handles his finances for him? Taxpayer dollars in the hands of a guy who has no home and doesn't take care of his own finances. Daddy does it!
People, wake up. Crist is not yet a man. His daddy and his teacher's union sister are his ENABLERS. Is that where Florida wants to go????
Daddy handles his finances and sis whispers sweet nothings in his ear straight from the teachers' union bosses.
I'll vote for the democrat.
Gallagher is the better choice for Governor. Crist has RINO characteristics.
This is VERY strange news. Almost sounds like a feeler to Crist camp.
With Crist's possible "lifestyle" problems, what the heck is going on here?
Crist is the man! He is a Repub, your dreamin it up.
We have eyes he will do his Job.
Ops4
Crist is a joke. A very bad, very tasteless joke.
There are plenty of RINOs who support Crist.
There are plenty of RHINOS who support Gallagher
Rhinos Fat TROLLS Gallagher hangs out with.
What is Crist's position on gay marriage?
Gallaghers' dream is a crock
Tom Gallaghers' latest TV ad includes "Tom Gallagher won't let offshore insurance companies hold your home hostage. Tom Gallagher, fighting for the American dream."
Tom Gallagher is being economical with the truth.
He looks after insurers at the expense of Floridians;
Insurance insiders know that for three years he and his Department of Financial Services danced with White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd, a Bermuda-based financial services holding company with major interests in the reinsurance market, and even today Gallagher refuses to enforce the law against these offshore pirates who seem to think they are immune from prosecution as they blatantly violate Florida's statutes every day.
Sirius International, a White Mountains subsidiary reinsurer is unlicensed in Florida yet has underwritten unlawful medical insurance plans in Florida for more than 5 years. The DFS investigated them for 3 years before deciding the company was acting unlawfully, but apparently chose not to fine them when their illegal activities were exposed
Steven Fass (photo left) is President of White Mountains. He knows Sirius is unlawful in Florida yet refuses to instruct them to stop writing there. His lawyers have met several times with DFS officials and finally they withdrew their application for a license in Florida in March '06, but even that acknowledgment they have no authority didn't stop them underwriting.
Despite clear violations of Florida's Insurance Code and Statutes by Sirius International Gallagher has not allowed his staff to force them to stop doing business in Florida, take any regulatory against them, or levy any monetary penalties.
Gallagher is cozying up to this offshore insurer and letting them get away with stealing taxes from Florida and writing millions of dollars worth of illegal insurance - is that his vision of fighting for the American dream?
Gallagher should be impeached and removed from the post of Treasurer for his massive wrongdoings with White Mountains.
It's clear that Gallagher is definitely not Governor material.
http://www.tomgallaghersucks.com/blog/?gclid=CJ2j4K7O0oYCFRFLSgodXCkT3g
Not to steal from them.
Ops4
It wasn't clear in your post, did you say Crist's father handles his finances?
:>)
Like Sen. Connie Mack and Rep. Allan Bense? The NRA? The Florida Medical Association?
In other words, Crist thinks gay marriages should be recognized. He probably also thinks gays reproduce, don't spread disease, and should adopt children to abuse.
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