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Bill McBride was in the audience that afternoon as Smith, his boss and mentor, told a U.S. Senate subcommittee that a corporate lawyer can serve both his clients and the public good. Now, 28 years later, Smith's pithy remark epitomizes McBride's challenge as he tries to make the transition from corporate lawyer to governor of Florida. McBride, 57, is not nearly as plainspoken as Smith. In fact, he is as cautious as Smith is indelicate. But in the nine years that McBride led Holland & Knight, he turned it into a global empire with even more corporate clients that Smith...

HUNT: Next on CAPITAL GANG, Beyond the Beltway looks at Jeb Bush's struggle for a second term as governor of Florida. Political reporter Mark Silva of "The Orlando Sentinel" joins us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) HUNT: Welcome back. What Republican Jeb Bush hoped would be an easy reelection against former U.S. attorney general Janet Reno became a tough race when lawyer Bill McBride defeated Reno for the Democratic nomination. The latest nonpartisan poll by Insider Advantage shows a 5-point Bush advantage. At their most recent debate, the candidates debated Florida's economy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: What we've done...

CAPTION: The unusual interlacing of his campaign and the teachers group is assailed by the governor as an "umbilical cord." published September 17, 2002 In the small hours of the morning after last week's election, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride raised his voice over more than 100 cheering supporters to thank his wife, Alex Sink, and then called another woman to the stage. As cameras flashed, McBride held upraised hands with Maureen Dinnen, the president of the Florida Education Association, the state teachers union. Then he called up Pat Tornillo, the union's boss in Miami-Dade County, to thank him, too....

LAW FIRM CHANGE: Labor and employment lawyer John E. Phillips has been named executive partner of Holland & Knight's Tampa office. He replaces real estate and land use attorney Jim Shimberg. Spokeswoman Karen Schoening said such leadership changes are common at the law firm. Executive partners help set local business plans, appear at civic and charitable events and sit on firmwide committees.

These are the words of floriduh voter. I have just learned that former controversial Clearwater, FL Mayor Gabe Cazares is involved in McBride's campaign. He was mayor quite some time ago and I recall that my Dad knew him. Clearwater used to be a small community back then, I was a beach bum and I can't remember specifics regarding Gabe Cazares' scandal/controversy. So, if you're interested in this subject matter, then have at it and let's do some research on Clearwater's former mayor. True, we may not need to know after this Tuesday but gee, let's see what rock Cazares...

Good afternoon, everybody! Meet Sarah Fisher who made history in the Indy 300 in Kentucky. She's the first woman to earn a pole position in a major series. We need people with her kind of energy to drive people to the polls! http://www.sarahfisher.com

By KATHRYN WEXLER, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published August 9, 2002 TAMPA -- The luncheon was sponsored by the Tampa Bay Black Republican Club and billed as a chance for African-Americans to get to know Gov. Jeb Bush. But about half the audience of 500 wasn't black. Most weren't Republican. Even the preacher who gave the invocation, Hillsborough Commissioner Thomas Scott, was a Democrat. "What is it like to be black and Republican?" club president Eric Brown asked the crowd before introducing the governor as a friend he met a year ago. "Sometimes we feel totally out...