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Junior Chimp
Posts: 6,909
Political Matrix
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« on: August 04, 2005, 01:52:07 PM » |
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Florida House Speaker Allan Bense (R) announced that he will not challenge Rep. Katherine Harris for the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Bill Nelson (D) in 2006. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Karl Rove, and other prominent Republicans had encouraged Bense to run because polls show Sen. Nelson easily defeating Harris.
More from the Bradenton Herald:
Republican leaders began courting Bense to run for the seat out of concern that Harris, R-Sarasota - who played a role in stopping the ballot recount in the contested 2000 presidential election - would be a lightning rod for negative sentiment from Democrats.
Harris consistently trumped Bense, who admitted he had low name recognition, in the polls. The same polls have shown Harris consistently trailing Nelson.
The White House and the National Republican Senatorial Committee viewed Bense as a strong candidate who could overcome low name recognition with the financial support of the party.
Republicans across the nation have set their sights on Nelson, who is Florida's only statewide Democrat and has job approval ratings below 50 percent.
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While Bense's exit clears the way for Harris to receive the Republican nomination, it places additional pressure on GOP leaders to decide whether there is another available candidate with a better chance at unseating Nelson. The number of choices is waning.
U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, who has flirted with the idea of running for the Senate, has about $2 million in campaign funds, according to David Johnson, a Republican strategist and pollster with Strategic Vision LLC in Atlanta.
While Foley, R-West Palm Beach, also does not fare well against Harris in polling, his money gives him the opportunity to buy name recognition, Johnson said.
For the past several months, retired U.S. Army General Tommy Franks, the former head of U.S. Central Command, has been thrown into the mix of candidates, but he has consistently declined to show an interest in the race.
With Attorney General Charlie Crist leading among Republicans for governor in 2006, speculation could shift to Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher. A poll Johnson's company conducted in June showed Crist and Gallagher ahead of Nelson by three and four points, respectively.
But Gallagher spokesman Alberto Martinez said Wednesday that Gallagher is "100 percent committed" to becoming governor.
Johnson said the White House believes that Harris can't win the race. He also said Gov. Bush is the only name that could beat Harris in a primary. The situation will force Republican leaders to show just how much confidence they do or don't have in Harris, Johnson said.
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