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Wed 6 Sep, 2006 09:29 am
This means Florida will go Democratic.---BBB
Katherine Harris wins GOP nomination
By STEVEN WINE, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 6, 2006
Shrugging off critics who derided her campaign as spectacularly inept, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record) easily won the GOP nomination for a shot at unseating incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (news, bio, voting record).
"Tonight I say to Bill Nelson: Come home, Bill. Enough is enough," Harris said Tuesday.
As secretary of state in 2000, Harris oversaw the recount that gave George W. Bush the White House. She became a rising star in the Republican Party, parlaying name recognition into two terms in Congress.
But state GOP leaders tried to talk Harris out of running for the Senate, citing fears she would lose to Nelson ?- a Democrat who had no primary challenger ?- and spur a large turnout by Democrats in November that would hurt the entire Republican ticket.
In another closely watched race, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis (news, bio, voting record) won the Democratic nomination to succeed popular term-limited Gov. Jeb Bush, beating state Sen. Rod Smith. Davis' opponent in November will be Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, who claimed the Republican nomination.
Harris' campaign was widely ridiculed, even by her own party. Fundraising lagged, her appearance was mocked, staff members kept quitting and she was linked to a corrupt defense contractor.
Still, she won comfortably, thanks to weak opposition and a strong base. Some 2 1/2 hours after the polls closed, the 49-year-old congresswoman arrived at her Tampa campaign headquarters to chants of "We want Katherine."
"It's a great victory because it shows each of us we can overcome adversity to achieve extraordinary victories," Harris said.
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Harris had 49 percent of the vote against three relative unknowns. Attorney Will McBride ran second at 30 percent, and retired Navy admiral LeRoy Collins had 15 percent.
Nelson didn't address Harris' win directly but said in a statement that he looked forward to "spending the next six years continuing to fight for the people of Florida in the United States Senate."
Despite a handful of late openings at polling places, the primary appeared to be debacle-free, with no problems reported to rival the troubled elections in 2000 and 2002. Rainy weather in South Florida and other parts of the state was expected to reduce turnout figures.
"The primary election in Florida today ran very smoothly," state Division of Elections spokesman Sterling Ivey said.
The Democratic race for governor tightened in recent days, but Smith fell short in his bid for a come-from-behind victory. Davis dogged Smith about his connections to big sugar, repeatedly pointing out how U.S. Sugar Corp. spent millions of dollars to fund attack ads.
Davis spoke to supporters in Tampa shortly after Smith phoned to concede.
"With all the talk of sugar in the news, let me say how sweet it is," Davis said. "It's time to change direction, and tonight is a new beginning."
Crist campaigned as a champion of consumer causes and the governor's policies ?- at least when it came to crime, taxes and education. A roar went up in Crist's hotel suite in St. Petersburg when he told family and supporters he'd been declared the winner.
"All I want to be is the people's governor," Crist said, "and they should rest assured that if they elect me in November, no one will fight harder for the people."
In other results, state Sen. Skip Campbell easily won the Democratic nomination for attorney general over a little-known lawyer who did not campaign. Bill McCollum was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Senate President Tom Lee won the Republican nomination for chief financial officer, setting up a November race against Democrat Alex Sink.
Well, BBB. I hope that you are right, but some voters are short of sight.
Primary Winner Harris Faces Uphill Duel
Primary Winner Harris Faces Uphill Duel
Sep 6, 5:17 PM (ET)
By MITCH STACY -AP
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Rep. Katherine Harris overcame the opposition of her own party to win a decisive primary victory, and now it's unclear whether the GOP will lift a finger to support her long-shot bid to oust Sen. Bill Nelson in November.
Harris, dogged by campaign missteps and the specter of a bribery scandal, faces an uncontroversial opponent with a 30-point lead in the polls.
"Make no mistake about it," Harris told supporters Tuesday night. "It's not going to be easy."
University of North Florida political science professor Matt Corrigan thinks a Nov. 7 general election win would be almost impossible for Harris.
"Bill Nelson would have to make a huge, stupid mistake for this race to become competitive, and Bill Nelson doesn't make stupid political mistakes," Corrigan said. "This is more than a long shot."
Harris got 50 percent in Tuesday's four-candidate GOP primary. Will McBride, a 34-year-old political novice who ran statewide TV commercials for a week before the election, came in second with 30 percent.
"She shouldn't take much solace in those numbers," Corrigan said. "For McBride to get 30 percent, that sends a message that Republicans are not behind her candidacy."
Florida Republican Party spokesman Jeff Sadosky said Wednesday the party will back Harris but that it was too early for details. Sadosky said he didn't know whether state party chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan or Gov. Jeb Bush would campaign for her at some point or if Harris would get any money from the state party.
"The governor and chairwoman Jordan said they would support the eventual nominees," Sadosky said. "She is the nominee."
Bush's office referred questions about Harris to Sadosky.
The Republican National Committee also will support Harris, spokeswoman Camille Anderson said.
"The national party looks forward to helping elect Republicans up and down the ballot in Florida," she said. "Republicans will execute an aggressive get-out-the-vote operation in the state that will benefit all our candidates."
Harris gained the adoration of the Republican rank-and-file - and the scorn of Democrats - in 2000 when, as Florida secretary of state, she oversaw the recount that put George W. Bush, the governor's brother, in the White House. In 2002, she won her congressional seat and then two years later set her sights on the Senate.
But Republican leaders pushed her aside in 2004 so Mel Martinez could win the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Bob Graham.
This year, figuring that Nelson was beatable, the party tried to force her out of the race against Nelson, asking several other people to get into the race.
Harris has been tripped up by her dealings with corrupt defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty to bribing a California congressman and admitted funneling $32,000 in illegal donations to Harris. She says she gave the money to charity.
More than two dozen of her staff members defected, with some of whom characterizing her as a micromanaging bully prone to temper tantrums and unpredictable behavior.
Harris also has raised eyebrows with some of her public statements. She recently said that separation of church and state is "a lie" and that God and the Founding Fathers did not intend the country to be "a nation of secular laws." She later backpedaled.
Nelson campaign manager Chad Clanton said he didn't know what to expect from Harris during the campaign, but he doubts she can overcome her credibility problems.
"It's the fire she can't put out," Clanton said.
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