Posted on 01/12/2006 4:59:26 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
“If she has any pride, she’ll be out in a month,” said a Republican with close ties to Harris campaign officials. “If she cares about her party, she’ll be out in a month. Otherwise, the Senatorial Committee won’t do a thing and she’ll get beat by 15 points.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
I am sorry to hear that.
Harris should resign - and position herself for a run at Florida Governor. Being a Governor is better than a Senator anyway.
Bill McCollum is running for Florida's Attorney General. The seat is being vacated by Charlie Crist who is running for governor.
McCollum stands a very good chance of winning this seat and I think it is the right place for him.
I don't think McCollum could beat Bill Nelson for the Senate seat and there is no enthusiasm for him to try.
I'm sorry to hear that Congresswoman Harris's father has passed away. Prayers for her and her family.
"I don't think McCollum could beat Bill Nelson for the Senate seat and there is no enthusiasm for him to try."
"People assume he must be good because he's been there so long. Maybe he's vying to be the next Senator Byrd."
A lot of McCollum supporters are still sore at Mel Martinez. They claim that the 2004 Senate wouldn't have been that close if McCollum won the primary. I'm not so sure about. Yes, McCollum would have carried North FL much better than Martinez, but would have lose the support Martinez enjoyed in Miami-Dade. Overall, President Bush would have carried either Martinez or McCollum across the finish line.
Are Bense or Weldon raising money for a possible Senate bid? The only other person raising money is Mark Foley, who could be a threat to Nelson if he could make serious inroads in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
"The only other person raising money is Mark Foley, who could be a threat to Nelson if he could make serious inroads in Broward and Palm Beach counties."
Actually, there are several real true conservatives who are viable candidates in the absence of a Katherine Harris candidacy. They include Congressman Dave Weldon, state House Speaker Allen Bense, and veteran state Senator Daniel Webster. And all of them poll stronger than the far better-known Harris.
Bense and Weldon are waiting for Harris to drop out of the race and vying for Establishment support.
I don't think that RINO Mark Foley is the right candidate. Though he would make inroads in the Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale areas, he would lose too many voters in northern Florida. While his personal life is his business, he's been too indiscreet about it to keep it out of the press.
The FL primaries are in August. Weldon, Bense, and Webster had better jump in now. Webster, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2004 FL primary, would be better organized to get moving. I hope one of them makes a move soon.
IMHO, only one of them will actually run, but are intimidated by Katherine Harris's superior name I.D. Whichever one can get the tacit support of Karl Rve and Jeb Bush will be the one, but all bets are off as long as Harris is in the race.
If you've seen Bill Nelson's low name I.D. and mediocre approval rating, you can tell he's beatable.
ping
Tom Feeney didn't fare so well when he was Jeb's first pick for lt. governor. I would love to have him go up against Bill Nelson because Feeney is a "take no prisoners" kind of guy.
I don't know much about Weldon. He was supposed to show up at the 2003 Republican Women's Convention and didn't.
Jeb says he isn't running and is returning to private life. He is a man of his word. We have to accept that.
Gallagher is currently way behind in the money raising stakes in Florida. He might consider dropping out of the race against Crist if Harris vacates her attempt to unseat Nelson.
I think Crist would make the best Senator. He seems to have the right persona for it. However, the governor's seat appears to be within his grasp now and I doubt he will consider any other course.
Martinez did not enjoy all that much support in Miami-Dade. I don't have the numbers in front of me but he did not carry that part of the state. Betty Castor did.
I think McCollum would have lost. It still would have been a close election.
Martinez won because he was a virtual unknown.
Mel Martinez carried Miami-Dade County by 1,385 votes. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004//pages/results/states/FL/S/01/county.001.html
That may sound insignificant, but John Kerry beat President Bush in Miami-Dade County by over 48,000 votes. http://uselectionatlas.org/USPRESIDENT/statesub.php?year=2004&fips=12086&f=1
Mel's performance in Miami was instrumental in his statewide victory.
For the record, I agree that McCollum would have lost to Castor, but am not sure whether Harris would have won.
Bill Nelson is not aging well imo. Just imo.
I stand corrected.
This is SO TRUE! And many are self-styled "conservatives" who often vote for the more liberal candidates.
I learned the sad news this morning. George W. Harris, Jr. had a heart attack while playing tennis on Friday. He was born in Tampa & attended Georgia Tech where he met his wife, Harriett Griffin. He served in the Navy and was stationed in Key West where Katherine was born.
He was a strong supporter of his daughter's political activities and he often dressed as Uncle Sam and stood on Sarasota Street corners waving signs.
His sudden death must be a terrible shock to Katherine, his family & friends. Let us pray for them during this difficult time.
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