McBride quietly gets rolling (OFLOL)

McBride quietly gets rolling Some question Democrat Bill McBride's tactics after a dramatic primary, but he says he's sticking to his game plan. By WES ALLISON, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published October 3, 2002 --------------------------------------------------------- TAMPA -- Republican Gov. Jeb Bush has put him on the defensive with a steady barrage of criticism.

He has been forced to spend considerable time introducing himself to much of Florida's African-American community, a key part of the Democratic base. And activists in South Florida, the state's Democratic stronghold, complain he isn't paying them enough attention.

But Bill McBride, a Tampa lawyer and first-time candidate, betrays no worry. As in his upset victory last month over Janet Reno, he says he has a plan, and he simply aims to follow it.

Whatever momentum McBride carried into the Sept. 10 primary stalled, because the final results were in doubt until Reno conceded one week later. That was one week in which McBride couldn't raise much money, couldn't advertise, couldn't court Reno's sizable base of support.

Republicans were surprised his first post-primary commercial, touting his middle-class upbringing and his service in the Vietnam War, didn't air until a full week after that.

Now, with 33 days before the Nov. 5 election, campaign officials and Democratic foot soldiers insist the momentum is back, despite some signs to the contrary.

McBride's campaign also is trying to evolve into one capable of carrying a general election in the nation's fourth-largest state.

McBride has hired a new campaign manager, and the number of staffers and volunteers working out of the campaign's Tampa headquarters has doubled in the past two weeks. They include strategists from organized labor, the Florida Democratic Party and two key Reno refugees -- her former campaign manager, Mo Elleithee, who will focus on South Florida, and her African-American outreach coordinator, James Harris.

Supporters from Tampa Bay to South Florida acknowledge that the campaign has been less public in recent weeks, but they say that's the result of internal reorganization and planning.

McBride's strategy against Reno was marked by focus: Rather than spending his time chasing every Democratic vote in South Florida, where Reno was most popular, he concentrated on central and northern Florida, where he was reasonably assured of making inroads.

In July, when supporters became jittery about his lack of name recognition, McBride held off on TV advertising until he had enough money for a sustained ad blitz.

He seems to be acting with similar restraint now. Rather than barnstorming the state, McBride spent most of last week preparing for the debate. This week he's focusing on raising the money he'll need for more TV ads.

And while typically the challenger dogs the incumbent, in this race it's Bush who has attacked at every chance.

"I look at it as understanding what your strategy is ... and what your focus has to be to win, and then sticking to it," said Cathy Kelly, McBride's new campaign manager, the longtime political director of the Florida Education Association who was chosen to ensure that focus.

"Not that you don't constantly measure whether you're accomplishing what you have to accomplish," and reacting accordingly, Kelly said.

On Wednesday, McBride met with black ministers in Jacksonville, then traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with union leaders. Tonight he has two fundraisers in Miami. On Oct. 18, McBride will join former President Clinton in New York City for a luncheon to raise money for the state party.

Bush continued his offensive Wednesday, saying McBride's desire to change the school grading system the governor created would cost the state $500-million a year in federal education money.

McBride has said he supports higher standards but calls the school grades, based entirely on FCAT scores, "punitive." The test alone should not be used to grade schools, he said.

The governor produced a letter from a federal education undersecretary saying that "if a school's reading and math scores to not meet state-established goals, that school must be identified as failing to make adequate yearly progress," and that would cost funding.

McBride decried that assertion as "ridiculous," noting the law requiring school standards is flexible. But it showed the governor's determination to hit McBride, Kelly said. "I think they're doing that in order to get us off our game plan."

There are signs that McBride is expanding his focus beyond education. As the Bush campaign has criticized McBride for being driven by that single issue, McBride has begun to talk more about expanding economic opportunity for all Floridians. On Tuesday he toured a high-tech firm in Orlando to underscore his desire to recruit high-paying jobs.

Steve Gordon, a St. Petersburg businessman and environmentalist, said he's helping McBride craft an environmental policy now. "Even though education is his top goal, we're trying to get the word out that he is concerned about other issues," he said.

Percy Johnson, a black Democratic activist in Fort Lauderdale who supported Reno, said he fears McBride is wasting too much time before reaching Reno supporters in South Florida.

His view is not uncommon among Democrats there, although on Wednesday Reno spent 45 minutes on a hot Broward County street corner, waving McBride signs with his running mate, Tom Rossin.

"He's behind. He needs to close links," Johnson said. "At the rate they're going, Jeb is going to try to run circles."

-- Times staff writers Steve Bousquet and Adam C. Smith contributed to this report.

Wait until you see the AP article about McBride's wife that came in my email as AP Breaking news this morning. It is totally appropriate for this thread:

Florida Candidate's Wife an Asset

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The former president of Bank of America's Florida operations has thrown her considerable support behind Democratic candidate for governor Bill McBride. Which is probably a good thing for the McBride household, since she is his wife.

Adelaide ``Alex'' Sink, 54, has given her Tampa lawyer husband connections and access to certain circles of power and has used her business acumen to help oversee the campaign's finances. She herself was mentioned as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor in 1998.

Just this week, Sink met with black leaders and talked to union officials in Miami on her husband's behalf. She often appears in his place at fund-raisers.

In contrast, Columba Bush, 49, the wife of McBride's opponent, Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, has kept a lower profile in her husband's campaign. In recent weeks, the stay-at-home mom has addressed a GOP women's luncheon in Tallahassee and spoken in front of family advocate and drug prevention groups.

Sink could be an asset in McBride's attempt to court professional, suburban women voters, especially in central Florida, which is considered a swing area, said David Niven, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University.

``This is the life he's led, of Little League coaching and cooking dinners and finding time to be with his busy, professional wife,'' Niven said. ``This is certainly something that millions of suburban families can identify with.''

Early in the campaign season, Sink was the target of attacks from the Bush campaign. The campaign demanded that she release her tax returns from the past two years to prove that she does not have any business interests that could create a conflict for her husband.

Sink initially did not want to release her tax returns, which she is not required to do. ``I'm not the candidate. It's a privacy issue,'' she said in a recent interview. ``Bill and I have always had separate finances and separate bank accounts. He doesn't have control over my assets.''

The McBride campaign eventually released Sink's returns last month. They showed that Sink earned $3.5 million and paid $1.3 million in taxes in 2000. Last year, she earned $2.9 million and paid $1.1 million in taxes.

Sink was the main earner in the family for years. In 1999, for instance, Sink made $2.6 million. Her husband earned $523,647 that year from his job as managing partner of Holland & Knight, Florida's biggest law firm.

Dressed in well-tailored suits, Sink works the campaign trail with a toothy smile, a brown-haired bob and a twangy accent. Having opened up many bank branches, she is familiar with most parts of Florida.

Unlike Mrs. Bush, Sink, who is descended from Chang Bunker, half of the original Siamese Twins, appears comfortable in the public eye.

Once during a campaign stop at the Tallahassee airport, McBride's cell phone started ringing loudly while he addressed a crowd of supporters.

Standing beside him, Sink discreetly felt around his belt to turn off the phone, but the crowd noticed and people started chuckling. She played it up for more laughs and made exaggerated gropes around her husband's waist.

``Somebody, call me again!'' McBride shouted as the crowd roared.

As Florida's first lady, Mrs. Bush has focused on promoting art appreciation and drug treatment and prevention. The Bushes' 25-year-old daughter, Noelle, is undergoing drug rehab.

For most of her husband's first term, Mrs. Bush kept a lower profile. The most attention she received was when she was fined in 1999 for failing to declare $19,000 worth of clothing and jewelry she had bought in Paris.

Mrs. Bush did not respond to an interview request for this story. The governor's aides have said she is uncomfortable giving interviews.

The governor called her a source of comfort during the campaign: ``She's my counselor. She's my place where I get my serenity. She's a big help.''

The governor's family problems could be considered a liability in the campaign and may explain why Columba Bush keeps a low profile, Niven said.

``That invites scrutiny of an area that doesn't do the governor any good,'' he said.

10/03/02 11:28 EDT

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