Florida, NH, 10 other states to hold primaries Tuesday
Posted on 09/08/2002 3:47:42 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Florida, NH, 10 other states to hold primaries Tuesday
Reno wants to govern Sunshine State; senator challenged in GOP race
09/08/2002
The primary season draws to a climax Tuesday with voting in 12 states, highlighted by Florida, where former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno faces a tough Democratic challenge in her bid for governor, and New Hampshire, where Republican Sen. Bob Smith is in danger of being ousted by his own party.
The balloting comes just a day before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It's also less than two months before the midterm elections, which will decide which party controls the Senate and House for the remainder of President Bush's term.
Besides the contests in Florida and New Hampshire, there are races in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
In Florida, Ms. Reno brought strong name recognition but little party support to her campaign to unseat Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, the president's brother. The former U.S. attorney in Miami and attorney general under President Bill Clinton faces lawyer Bill McBride, who raised more money and has closed a wide gap in the polls.
Ms. Reno ran a quirky campaign, shying away from heavy advertising, driving a pickup truck across the state and doing the Hustle in a South Beach disco. But Mr. McBride won the endorsements of top state Democrats.
"McBride is the only candidate who can beat Bush in November," U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown said.
Mr. Bush, the president's brother, was unopposed for the GOP nomination in his bid for a second term.
The New Hampshire Senate race drew a measure of revenge and intraparty conflict after state Republicans recruited Rep. John E. Sununu to challenge Mr. Smith, a two-term incumbent.
Mr. Smith left the party in 1999 for an ill-fated presidential run, accusing the GOP of hypocrisy and saying the party platform was "not worth the paper it's written on."
After losing badly in his home state primary, he rejoined the party a few months later.
"He became Washington," said Dave Carney, a 24-year state GOP veteran who led the effort to get Mr. Sununu into the race. "When he left the party, it was, 'You guys bite.' It was terrible."
Worse than the "betrayal," as Mr. Carney put it, are worries about the fall race: Early polls show Mr. Smith would lose to Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, who has no primary opposition in her Senate bid. Some polls give Mr. Sununu a better chance against Ms. Shaheen.
Top party leaders have split on the race: Mr. Smith got support from some fellow senators, White House strategist Karl Rove and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Mr. Sununu, son of John H. Sununu, the chief of staff to former President George Bush, also got help from some senators and House leaders.
The last time an elected senator was ousted in his own party's primary was in 1992, when Illinois Democrat Alan Dixon lost to Carol Moseley Braun.
There is a lot riding on midterm elections in the fall, where control of both the House and Senate is at stake, along with the direction of ongoing debates on economic and foreign policy. A GOP gain of a single seat in the Senate could return it to Republican control.
The loss of six seats in the House could put the Democrats in the majority.
As for the influence of Sept. 11, the national political parties and many individual campaigns declared they would forgo ads or politicking around the anniversary. But that meant little change for races falling on the day before.
"You would stop at your own peril," said Wes Gullett, who is helping the GOP gubernatorial campaign of Arizona Secretary of State Betsey Bayless.
Among other high-profile races:
In North Carolina, the Senate seat held for 30 years by retiring Republican Jesse Helms drew crowded primaries, with Elizabeth Dole leading seven candidates for the GOP nomination and former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles among nine candidates seeking the Democratic nod.
In New York, a contentious contest for the Democratic nomination for governor evaporated last week when Andrew Cuomo dropped out, leaving state Comptroller Carl McCall unopposed. Gov. George Pataki is unopposed for the GOP nomination.
In the nation's capital, incumbent Mayor Anthony Williams was dropped from the Democratic primary ballot because of petition irregularities. He's running as a write-in candidate, as is his chief opponent, the Rev. Willie Wilson, who has the backing of Mr. Williams' predecessor, Marion Berry.
In Providence, R.I., four Democrats are vying for the nomination to replace ousted Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr., who was convicted of corruption. Like Washington, D.C., Providence is heavily Democratic.
A slew of open governor's seats spurred competitive and often high-spending contests in Arizona, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
And several House seats drew attention, including former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris' bid for a safely Republican House seat.
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Anyone have Janet's shipping address? 
Indeed. Last week in Provincetown, MA, a homogeneous group of male tourists (perhaps from Florida or one of the primary states) was chanting "Thank You, Janet Reno" for all the charms of that lovely town. Their guide could have been Janet.
Barr, McKinney? Why does Georgia need two primaries?
Actually, it's just the run-off races that resulted from the real primaries, which were held back in August. There are a couple of state-wide races, and a number of state legislature races on each side of the ballot.
About the only race among them that is worth mentioning is Billy McKinney's bid to retain hold of his personal fiefdom seat in the state legislature.
Reno, on the other hand is an unelectable laughingstock. I certainly hope she can pull off a win in the primary.
What are closed primary elections? Florida is one of twenty-four states requiring CLOSED primary elections. Florida Statute 101.021 requires each qualified elector to vote the official primary election ballot of the political party designated in his/her registration -- and no other. It is unlawful for any elector to vote in a primary for any candidate running for nomination from a party other than that in which such elector has been registered except, in those limited situations authorized by Article VI, Section 5(b) of the Florida Constitution.
You're kidding! I hadn't heard anything about it! /sarcasm off!
Isn't it embarassing?
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