Free Republic

Betty Castor just conceeded to Martinez, from her HQ in Tampa.

To give Florida Republican U.S. Senator hopeful, Mel Martinez, a show of support last night before his debate with Betty ("Islamic terrorist sympathizer") CastroCastor, myself, my wife, and three stalwart individuals from our Republican club here in Venice, packed up and went north to Tampa in my minivan. I'm glad we did, because, as is usual with street rallies, every man counts. Since George Bush was in town for a big rally today, most people where flocking to that event, leaving the Senate race notably bereft of support. Personally, I don’t party when there’s work to be done. I brought...

While tonight's televised debate between Florida's U.S. Senate nominees probably won't be spoofed on Saturday Night Live or The Daily Show, it will feature the trappings of a nationally watched, highly competitive contest. NBC's Tim Russert will moderate the hourlong match-up between Democrat Betty Castor and Republican Mel Martinez in Tampa. Fox News, CNN and C-SPAN will be among the 19 satellite trucks. An estimated 1.5 million viewers will watch the live event. A Mason-Dixon poll released Sunday showed Castor and Martinez tied at 45 percent, with only 9 percent of voters undecided. In such a neck-and-neck contest, any zingers...

Police Called When Crowd Of 600 Gets Unruly Waiting For Flu Shots POSTED: 8:38 am EDT October 17, 2004 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Police were called when a crowd of 600 people got unruly after gathering at a St. Petersburg supermarket for hoped-for flu shots. Less than 300 doses were on hand. Store managers called police after people started screaming and hollering for tickets for the shots. Two officers and a sergeant helped restore calm. Some people spent the night in sleeping bags to be near the front of the line. Elderly men and women waited in wheelchairs and leaned...

The Democratic candidate for Florida's open Senate seat harbored Islamist jihadists at the public university where she was president, Republicans charge in a new ad.     Betty Castor hired two teachers and kept two others who, according to law enforcement officials, had ties to terrorist organizations. Since her 1999 departure from the University of South Florida in Tampa after five years as president, three of the four have been indicted.     The charges against Mrs. Castor are part of a new television ad released by her opponent, Republican Mel Martinez, in response to an ad in which the Democrat said she...

The leading Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat from Florida, the former president of the University of South Florida, chose to ignore repeated warnings that her faculty included terrorist supporters. Betty Castor is seeking the seat vacated by Sen. Bob Graham. Her biggest claim to fame is her tenure as president of the university at the time it employed Sami al-Arian. Al-Arian awaits trial in January on a 50-count federal terrorism indictment, stemming from Palestinian Islamic Jihad operations he allegedly managed with several others from Tampa. For seven years leading up to Sept. 11, 2001, Castor was warned about...

Despite Democratic claims of solid unity among members, some top candidates for office either showed up and quickly fled the national convention in Boston, or shunned it entirely. Most of the no-shows came from the South, or other conservative red state areas, and are seeking to distance themselves from the liberal Kerry-Edwards ticket. According to the Los Angeles Times, some of the party's most promising U.S. Senate candidates in the South opted to stay home and campaign in an effort to avoid being connected to their party's far-left nominees. Wrote the Times, "Many have staked out positions on such issues...

TALLAHASSEE · Robust, early leads by the Democratic and Republican front-runners in the race to become the next U.S. senator from Florida have narrowed sharply, according to a new statewide poll that shows the 12-candidate race has tightened into a five-person sprint. With television advertisements for the race beginning to hit the airwaves, the survey of likely voters conducted for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Florida Times-Union newspapers puts Betty Castor ahead of Peter Deutsch among Democrats, and Bill McCollum over Mel Martinez and Doug Gallagher at the top of the eight-candidate Republican field. After months of quiet preparations...

Senate Hopefuls Are Convention No-Shows Some Fear Being Tied to Democratic Ticket By Charles Babington Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, July 26, 2004; Page A01 BOSTON, July 25 -- Boston is the place for Democrats this week, but some will be conspicuous by their absence Thursday night, when John F. Kerry accepts the presidential nomination. The top Democratic candidates from seven of the eight most competitive Senate races will be back home, as will dozens of House candidates. Publicly, these candidates say they need to spend every possible minute campaigning at home. Privately, some acknowledge they do not want to...

Languishing in a prison cell in Central Florida is an inmate who could end up derailing Betty Castor's U.S. Senate race. Sami al-Arian is being held on charges that he financed Islamic Jihad terrorists while a professor at a school Castor headed, the University of South Florida. You'll be hearing a lot about al-Arian, say Democratic insiders. Television ads are being fashioned that slam Castor for not firing al-Arian. Castor refused to dismiss the professor for years after calls he be tossed out and after international publicity about his role in Islamic Jihad.

Castor brings Democratic Senate campaign to county By Brian E. Crowley, Palm Beach Post Political Editor Friday, April 9, 2004 BOYNTON BEACH -- Frank Castor cringed as his mother, Betty, shouted to a crowd of Century Village retirees that, yes, her son should help put Rush Limbaugh away. "It's the best suggestion I've had today," she said in response to a shout from someone in the crowd urging her son to take on Limbaugh. Betty is a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Frank is a prosecutor working for Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer. And Rush is the conservative...

Friday, Apr. 09, 2004 10:17 AM EDT Dem Sen. Candidate: My Son the Prosecutor Will Help 'Put Rush Away' If there was ever any question that the effort by Florida prosecutors to nail Rush Limbaugh on doctor shopping charges is politically motivated, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Betty Castor has dispelled all doubts. Campaigning before a crowd of Democratic retirees in Boca Raton this week, Castor pledged that her son Frank - who works in the office of Florida States Attorney Barry Krischer - would do everything he could to put Limbaugh behind bars. Responding to an audience member who called...

U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings endorsed fellow U.S. Rep.Peter Deutsch for the Senate on Friday, saying he is the only candidate who can step into the job without a learning curve. Deutsch is one of three Democrats running in the Aug. 31 primary to replace Sen. Bob Graham, who is retiring. "Peter's experience in the area of commerce is unrivaled by any of his opponents - and in the international arena, the same thing" Hastings said. Hastings, who considered and decided against running for the seat, said he plans to actively campaign for Deutsch and share his list of supporters. He...

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris said Tuesday that she is nearing a decision on whether to seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Bob Graham. The state's controversial former secretary of state, a Republican, said she'll make up her mind by the end of next week. Her deliberations are of intense interest from Florida to the White House, where strategists worry about her rekindling Democratic memories of the 2000 election and sharing a ballot with President Bush. But Harris, who rejected suggestions that the White House has asked her to put off a run, continued to make a case...

TAMPA - Betty Castor's tenure as president of the University of South Florida is a major building block as she assembles support in her run for the U.S. Senate. But one episode in that presidency could come back to bite the candidate: Castor's handling of the case of Sami Al-Arian, the former professor accused of operating a support cell for Palestinian terrorists while at USF. Castor essentially left the matter up to law enforcement, choosing not to challenge Al-Arian in light of the twin employment protections of a union contract and academic freedom. Her administration's stance was controversial. So far,...

Dear God: Please, please, please let Katherine Harris run for the U.S. Senate. Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but things down here have been a little dull so far in the Senate-race department. The most interesting guy in the race is Johnnie Byrd, who has entertained us as speaker of the state House. But he is interesting in the sense of, "What law won't he ram through in exchange for campaign money?" A Harris vs. Byrd fight would be spectacular. It would be a case of relentless force meeting shameless object. It would be a thing of beauty, to...

If state lawmakers vote this week to scrap runoff elections in 2004, the Democratic race to replace Sen. Bob Graham will look a lot more attractive -- and a lot riskier -- to U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar. Hastings, one of at least five Democrats pondering a run if Graham gives up his Senate seat to pursue the presidency, believes his chances of winning his party's nomination improve dramatically if he needs only a plurality rather than a majority. As the only black in the race, Hastings figures he'll start with a strong base of black support. And he believes...