Hokay

So.. I, Katherine Harris, have not won the election for Senate...

You all suck.


Now I'll get off my high horse.

Florida:

My name is Katherine Harris &
I want to be your next Senator!

Watch: Grand Theft America
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"Don't throw your vote away! Let Katherine Harris do it for you!"
-- Former Floridan and Angry

Link to Katherine Harris: Purge Princess

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Harris Debates, Less Clown Makeup

Republican Representative Katherine Harris said the United States should drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge while Senator Bill Nelson said the emphasis should be put on alternative fuel sources as the two met in their first debate tonight.

Harris said the national refuge could provide the country with oil for 29 years, adding, "I'm a f----ing Republican, f--k the Environment! Who cares if they want to drill off the coast of Sarasota next! My SUV needs oil."

Up until that point in the debate, the candidates agreed that a timeline shouldn't be placed on removing troops from Iraq, but each had different thoughts on the war.

Trailing the Democratic incumbent by a wide margin in the polls and fundraising, Harris debated Nelson tonight in the first debate before the November seventh election.

The candidates answered questions from a panel of Florida journalists at Nova Southeastern University in Davie. The one-hour debate was carried live on all Florida public television stations.

They will meet again on November first in another one-hour debate, moderated by Tim Russert from “Meet the Press” and carried on NBC affiliates statewide.

Representative Katherine Harris is Number 1!

According to Radar Online:

1.Representative Katherine Harris (R-FL)

If dumb Congress members were the X-Men, Harris would be their Wolverine—a mutant possessing fearsome skills, the product of a demented government experiment gone horribly wrong. Back in 2000, the then-Florida secretary of state thrust herself into the national spotlight by peremptorily calling the state for George W. Bush. Of course, the longtime crony of Bush's brother Jeb was also Florida's GOP campaign chair. Two years later, after she won her seat in the House, Harris wasted no time becoming a by-the-numbers culture warrior. But she really hit her stride on the campaign trail. Running for re-election in 2004, she told voters in Venice, Florida, that a "Middle Eastern" man had been arrested for trying to blow up the power grid of Carmel, Indiana. Neither the mayor of Carmel nor the governor of Indiana—nor anyone else acquainted with reality—had any idea what Harris was talking about.

Florida Republicans responded with sound skepticism when Harris put herself forward to face off against Democratic Senate incumbent Bill Nelson in 2006. But Harris was undaunted, allegedly telling campaign consultant Ed Rollins that God had asked her to run for Senate.

Nevertheless, the Supreme Being seems to have other plans for Florida Republicans—and especially for Harris's campaign team. Team Harris has hemorrhaged more than 25 senior staff and consultants, Rollins among them, over the past year. They rush for the exits every time there's a fresh report on Harris's shady dealing: her $2,800 dinner with MZM defense contractor (and Duke Cunningham's lubricator in chief) Mitchell Wade, who reportedly vowed to kick in $200,000 for a Harris fundraiser; her withdrawal of $100,000 from her campaign coffers to pay for repairs to her house; news that the FBI is collecting her campaign e-mails for review; and her decision to conceal from her lead staffer a federal subpoena concerning the abuses.

Need more? There was the surreal appearance on Hannity & Colmes during which Harris stood in profile for the entirety of her softball interview, seemingly intending to showcase her pronounced dé colletage to Fox News viewers. There was Harris's whisper campaign after the increasingly desperate state GOP reportedly approached former congressman and cable-host Joe Scarborough to run against her. Mainly, though, there's her Stalin-esque management style, which includes attacking staffers for such trespasses as procuring the wrong kind of candy, or for screwing up her Starbuck's order (extra-hot low-foam nonfat venti triple lattes with one packet of Sweet-n-Low). It's the sort of unhinged megalomania that makes us giddy. At one point, Harris's battered staffers tested her by submitting a two-month old speech she had written herself: She pronounced it "terrible." Unfortunately, early polls suggest our No. 1 pick won't be around to entertain us much longer. Enjoy her while you can.

Update: Margin Widens, Krazyness increases

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris is trailing by a wide margin in her bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, according to a poll issued Wednesday.

Nelson was favored by 61 percent compared to 33 percent who preferred Harris, who party leaders had tried to force out of the race, and 6 percent were undecided. The results were gathered in a random telephone sampling of 783 likely voters, conducted Oct. 3-8 by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

In a larger sampling of 968 registered voters, Nelson was favored by 56 percent to Harris's 31 percent with 11 percent undecided. A similar poll taken in July found Nelson with 61 percent to 24 percent who liked Harris.

As Florida's secretary of state in 2000, Harris oversaw the recount that gave George W. Bush the White House and quickly won star status among the GOP faithful.

However, state GOP leaders, who talked Harris out of a Senate bid in 2004, tried again to keep her from challenging Nelson, fearing she would not only lose but spur a large Democratic turnout that would damage the entire Republican ticket. She easily won the Sept. 5 primary.

The poll also found that 59 percent of Floridians disapprove of the job President Bush is doing compared to 37 percent who support his handling of the job. Fifty-five percent believe the country is losing the war in Iraq and 44 percent say the U.S. is losing the battle against terrorism.

The survey of likely voters carried a margin of error or plus or minus 3.5 percentage points while the larger sampling of registered voters was plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Harris -- Still Losing, Still Optimistic

TALLAHASSEE — Republican Congresswoman Katherine Harris is closing the gap slightly in the race for U.S. Senate, but the Democratic incumbent she hopes to unseat still enjoys a comfortable lead.

Mason-Dixon Florida Poll released earlier today shows U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Orlando leading Harris 53 percent to 35 percent, only slightly less than the 57 percent to 29 percent margin he enjoyed before the Sept. 5 primary.

Nelson continues to lead in every region of the state,” said Mason-Dixon managing director Brad Coker.

The pollsters surveyed 625 registered voters Sept. 20-22. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.Harris’ boost likely came from a decisive primary victory over three relatively unknown political newcomers, as well as her appearance at a party unity rally last week, Coker said. However, she is still below the 36 percent peak she registered against Nelson in June 2005.

Harris’ biggest challenge will be attracting Democratic and independent voters, Coker said. The poll shows Nelson leading Harris 81 percent to 9 percent among Democratic voters and 53 percent to 31 percent among independents.“She appears to have no crossover appeal, and you just can’t win in Florida without crossover votes,” Coker said.

Harris’ rise in the polls confirms what she sees at rallies and other events, said spokeswoman Jennifer Marks.

“Recent polls suggest what we’re experiencing in this state, and that is Floridians responding to Katherine Harris’ message of cutting taxes, reducing government spending and securing the borders,” Marks said.

Nelson is taking nothing for granted, said spokesman Bryan Gulley.

“We’ve always said it will get tighter,” Gulley said. “There are 41 days left in the campaign, and that’s a political eternity. The only poll that matters is on Election Day.”

Blasting From the Past x2

WASHINGTON - Federal investigators interviewed U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' former campaign manager as part of an ongoing federal inquiry into her relationship with a convicted defense contractor.

Jim Dornan, who left Harris' Senate campaign in November, spoke to investigators from the FBI and the Defense Department in Washington for about 90 minutes Thursday.

The Justice and Defense departments are examining Harris' dealings with Mitchell Wade, who made illegal campaign contributions to Harris and later asked her to help secure $10-million in federal money for a company project.

They have subpoenaed records from Harris' campaign office and have interviewed at least three former staffers: senior campaign consultant Ed Rollins, congressional chief of staff Fred Asbell and Mona Tate Yost, a congressional aide who later went to work for Wade.

A fourth employee, Kara Borie, Harris' former congressional spokeswoman, was contacted by investigators last month but it is unclear whether she was interviewed.

Dornan declined to comment. The Justice Department has refused to acknowledge an investigation.

Harris maintains she is not a target of the investigation.

Wade, who pleaded guilty to bribing another member of Congress, and Harris shared at least two dinners - each costing about $3,000 - at a tony Georgetown restaurant.

Dornan was not working for Harris when she received the donations or requested the money for the project.

Harris of Longboat Key defeated three political newcomers Tuesday to cinch the Republican nomination for the Senate. She faces Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November.

Harris' campaign has faced a host of problems in recent months including enormous staff turnover.

A hero to some, a pariah to others, a joke to most, Katherine Harris parlayed her famous role in deciding the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush into two terms in the U.S. House and rising-star status in the Republican Party.

But her planned ascent to U.S. Senate seat this year hasn't been as easy.

State GOP leaders - including Gov. Jeb Bush - don't think the 49-year-old Sarasota congresswoman can win and tried to find someone else to run. Fundraising has lagged, frustrated campaign workers have defected in droves and the issues have been overshadowed by news of her dealings with a corrupt defense contractor who gave her $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions.

After pledging to spend $10 million of her own money on the race, Harris drew three last-minute, politically untested challengers for the Sept. 5 GOP primary but remains the heavy favorite in the race. Recent polls, though, show she probably won't be able to beat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November.

But Harris has dug in her heels and refused to quit, blaming the media, disgruntled former staffers and some in the Republican leadership for trying to undermine her campaign.

"People don't care about all these extraneous things," she said. "What they care about is how we're going to conduct ourselves in the Senate and where we're going to fight for the people of Florida."

By many accounts, the Harvard-educated congresswoman is energetic, smart, charming and has a good grasp on the issues. She says her ability to work with members from both parties has made her an effective congresswoman. Among gatherings of Republican voters she is greeted with adoration and treated like a rock star.

"She's sincere and she is real," gushed Barbara Stephens, president of the Central Pinellas Republican Club, where Harris got two extended standing ovations at an appearance recently. "She's a true conservative Republican. She's a lady of courage, and she's person who I feel does what is right."

She's also generated questions and headlines about her dealings with defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty to bribing a California congressman and admitted funneling illegal donations to her.

Harris said she didn't know Wade was reimbursing employees who contributed to her congressional campaign. After dining with Wade in Washington, Harris sought $10 million in federal money so Wade's firm, MZM Inc., could set up a Navy counterintelligence program in her district, a project that was rejected. The Department of Justice is investigating but has said that Harris isn't a target. She blames the media for "beating it to death."

On top of that, former staffers started talking to reporters about their former boss, describing her as a micromanaging bully prone to temper tantrums and unpredictable behavior. Some quit because they couldn't take it anymore.

"She was very capable of being sweet as pie, but those moments were few and far between," said Jim Dornan, who served as her campaign manager for five months last year. "She berated people for the most minute things, like if there wasn't a Starbucks within three blocks of a campaign event.

"She has," Dornan said, "this sense of entitlement that I think drives a lot of her behavior."

Stephens thinks like-minded voters will look past those issues.

"I think if you really meet her and get to hear her speak, those things you put in the background," she said. "She comes across with such great ethical appeal and credibility."

On the campaign trial, Harris largely ignores her Republican opponents - LeRoy Collins, Will McBride and Peter Monroe - and instead attacks Nelson, painting him as a Ted Kennedy liberal who tries to raise taxes, coddles illegal immigrants and undermines President Bush's policies. She's promising to work to shore up the nation's troubled immigration policy, cut taxes and preserve "traditional marriages."

"I could absolutely walk away from this except for the fact that I know Bill Nelson doesn't represent (the people of) Florida, and I know I can beat him," she said. "I know I can go to Washington and fight for them. I know I can get things done."

Born in Key West and reared in the small town of Bartow in central Florida, Harris is the oldest grandchild of Ben Hill Griffin, the Florida citrus and real estate magnate whose influence remains legendary in the state. She has been married for 10 years to millionaire businessman Anders Ebbeson and has a grown stepdaughter.

She entered politics after moving to Sarasota in the mid-1980s with her first husband, winning a state Senate seat in 1994. She was elected secretary of state in 1998, setting the stage for the 2000 election debacle that made her the darling of GOP activists and fodder for late-night comedians who joked about her liberal use of makeup.

Harris said she simply "followed the letter of the law" while overseeing the disputed count that gave Bush a crucial 537-vote victory over Al Gore in Florida.

After 2000 she benefited from her name recognition, touting her book, "Center of the Storm," on national TV morning shows and turning her focus toward Washington.

She ran for a congressional seat in 2002, beating Jan Schneider, a Democrat and friend of former President Clinton, with 55 percent of the vote, then won re-election over Schneider by about the same margin two years ago.

Harris insists she's not worried about the polls that put her far behind Nelson.

"I wouldn't be in this unless I knew we could win," she said.

Poll: Nelson widens lead slightly over Harris in Senate race

Harris: "Ignore the poll numbers, look at my boobs."

Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson has widened his lead slightly over Republican challenger Katherine Harris in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a new poll.

And although the congresswoman still has a strong lead over her lesser-known opponents in the Sept. 5 GOP primary, fewer Republicans are now supporting her troubled campaign, according to the poll conducted for several news outlets.

In a general election, Nelson led Harris 57 percent to 29 percent with 14 percent undecided in the Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey released Tuesday. In March, Nelson led Harris 51 percent to 35 percent in the same poll.

Nelson is unopposed on the Democratic side. In the Republican primary, Harris led the field of four with 36 percent, followed by Will McBride, 11 percent; LeRoy Collins Jr., 8 percent; and Peter Monroe, 2 percent. Another 43 percent were undecided.

In March, 72 percent of GOP voters in a similar poll said they wanted Harris to be the party's Senate nominee.

"The most significant shift over the past four months has been the loss of support that Harris has suffered among Republicans," the polling firm noted. "Now 29 percent of Republicans are supporting Nelson and only 54 percent are in Harris' camp" in the general election.

Harris and her campaign have said polls don't matter.

"The congresswoman has a long record of gracefully rebounding despite negative predictions and questionable polls," Harris campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Marks said.

The poll consisted of telephone interviews July 19-21 with 625 likely voters. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4 percentage points. The sample of 400 Republicans had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Harris has been on the national public stage since she certified Florida's presidential election for George W. Bush in 2000, but her Senate campaign has been plagued with problems.

Fundraising has been slow, GOP leaders tried to find another candidate, campaign workers have defected and she has received more attention for her association with a corrupt defense contractor who gave her $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions than she has on issues.

Though Nelson has more than $10 million in his campaign account, he has been doing comparatively little public campaigning.

"We expect the race to tighten, and we're going to be prepared for whatever the other side throws at us," Nelson campaign manager Chad Clanton said.

Dropping like Flies

Harris Campaign Staffers Leaving


TALLAHASSEE -- Katherine Harris' Senate campaign staff is leaving again, and the description of working for the Republican congresswoman plays like a scene out of "Mommie Dearest."

Harris is prone to tantrums, wants to be treated like a princess, micromanages, fixates on minutia while ignoring the big picture, and sometimes does exactly the opposite of what advisers tell her with bad results that they have to clean up later, staff members said.

It's a story that's been told before. When her first campaign staff left in April, the same description of Harris was given by those who quit the effort to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.

"That's exactly like what happened," said Ed Rollins, a strategist who left the campaign in April. "Everything is someone else's fault. If there's not a Starbucks coffee house within distance, it's someone else's fault."

Campaign manager Glenn Hodas -- the third to work for Harris -- confirmed Thursday he and four other key staffers are leaving this week, including communications director Chris Ingram, who Wednesday said he was leaving.

In addition, field director Pat Thomas and two of her assistants are leaving. Two others are also walking out the door, including a fundraiser, another campaign staffer said speaking on condition of anonymity so as to not look disloyal.

Hodas, who will return to his Illinois political consulting business, Hodas & Associates, didn't want to talk about his decision, saying he wanted his departure to be amicable.

Harris was positive in announcing the departures in a news release, which said the campaign was "aggressively moving forward."

"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Glenn Hodas, Pat Thomas and the other departing staff members. I appreciate their hard work and service on my behalf. I wish each of them the very best in their future endeavors," Harris said.

Thomas will be replaced by Daphnie Ricobene, who worked for state Sen. Burt Saunders' attorney general campaign before he dropped out of the race. Replacements for Hodas and Ingram will be named shortly, the campaign said.

But leaving staff members, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a work situation that became intolerable. Sure, they had heard that Harris was tough to work for, but they said they thought it couldn't be as bad as described. They ended up finding it was worse than they imagined, they said.

This didn't come as a surprise to Rollins, who served as President Reagan's political director and ran Ross Perot's presidential campaign in 1992.

"Katherine is probably the worst micromanager I have ever seen, and her instincts are 100 percent wrong," Rollins said. "After a while you say, `Why am I putting up with this crap?' "

Harris' campaign has also faced other problems. Fundraising has been slow, GOP leaders tried to find another candidate, and she has received more attention for her association with a corrupt defense contractor who gave her $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions than she has on issues.

She has pledged to spend

$10 million of her own money on the race. She is facing three mostly unknown opponents in the primary -- Will McBride, LeRoy Collins Jr. and Peter Monroe -- and remains a heavy favorite to win the nomination.

The general election is a different story. She has trailed Nelson by more than 30 points in some polls and even Republican Gov. Jeb Bush has said she can't win.

Harris also faces surgery Monday to remove an ovarian mass. Rollins suggested with the latest turnover and her health concerns, Harris should bow out of the race.

"There's no good ending here," he said.

Harris defends her small-town strategy

Katherine Harris' whirlwind, small-town campaign schedule seems more fitting for a political rookie running for town council than a sitting congresswoman trying to unseat an incumbent U.S. senator in the nation's fourth-largest state.

Stops have included the Yankeetown/Inglis Republican Party spaghetti dinner, the Watermelon Festival Parade in Chipley and the Plantation Palms Golf Club in Land O' Lakes.

Today, she is scheduled to talk to Lakeland voters at Fred's Market Restaurant with "special guest Alligator Bob - a Hillsborough County native and fourth generation Floridian who is active in local party politics."

So when the Sarasota Republican rallied Thursday with Miami-Dade legislators on Calle Ocho, it was the most high-profile, big-city event she's done in a while.

She dismissed questions about the effectiveness of her campaign strategy against Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson, saying that she was reaching out to "core leaders in every community." Unlike Nelson, she is competing against members of her own party in the Sept. 5 primary: Orlando lawyer William McBride, Pinellas County developer Peter Monroe and retired Navy officer LeRoy Collins Jr., son of former Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins.

"I've always said I was going to be focused on grassroots," Harris said. "Bill Nelson is focused on fundraising."

Nelson has amassed one of the largest campaign accounts in the U.S. Senate, even though the latest polls show him besting Harris by a seemingly insurmountable margin. Nelson had a $6 million lead as of March, and he raised another $500,000 last month at a Coral Gables event headlined by President Bill Clinton.

"We take nothing for granted, and that's why he's working so hard," said Chad Clanton, Nelson's campaign manager.

Running a Space Coast version of the Rose Garden campaign strategy, the incumbent gets valuable image-boosting publicity without hitting the campaign trail. Nelson attended every attempted launch of the space shuttle Discovery over the weekend, landing newspaper mentions and television time, including a CNN interview where he was identified as "Sen. Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, former astronaut as well," for his 1986 trip aboard the shuttle.

For Harris, smaller campaign venues with fewer television cameras allow the controversial candidate to avoid tough questions, like those raised in this month's Vanity Fair magazine about a defense contractor who pleaded guilty to funneling illegal contributions to her and bribing another member of Congress. Harris has said she didn't know the donations were illegal, but has acknowledged that she should not have let Mitchell Wade take her out to dinner twice.

South Florida reporters haven't seen Harris campaigning since March. Most candidates try to squeeze as much free exposure as possible out of every visit, especially in voter-rich South Florida. But her support for a crackdown on illegal immigration that includes building a fence along the Mexican border may be a liability for Harris in Hispanic neighborhoods.

Harris said she opposes the provision in the legislation that would make illegal immigration a felony. She was ambushed Thursday with questions about the vote by Rosa Kasse, who leads an immigration rights group in Miami.

"I support making sure our borders are secure, which everyone here supports, too," Harris said.

She described Nelson as a liberal and criticized him for voting against a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage.

"To make sure traditional values are preserved, we have to win this election," she said.

She also said he favors the "death tax," though Nelson voted to repeal the tax on large inheritances last month, as he had in 2002. The Harris campaign pointed to two votes he took in 2001, voting against President Bush's sweeping tax cuts, which included cuts in the estate tax. A spokesman for Nelson said he voted against the larger tax cut because he found it "too large," but voted for amendments to repeal the estate tax.

Harris was joined in Little Havana by Republican state Reps. Julio Robaina, David Rivera and Gus Barreiro. She has been endorsed by other Republican state legislators and members of Congress, but the party's most high-profile official in Florida - Gov. Jeb Bush - has said she can't win and tried to recruit other candidates.

"Even when her own party made it difficult for her, she has shown conviction and determination," Barreiro said. "You have to admire her guts."

Harris loses her fourth chief of staff

Katherine Harris' chief of staff for the past year, Fred Asbell, has resigned from his duties in the congresswoman's office to pursue business opportunities. Recent headlines have placed the departure of Asbell, who was Harris' fourth chief of staff since she was elected to Congress in 2002, in the context of a congressional office and Senate campaign that have been hemorrhaging staff members since late last year. But Harris' congressional spokesman, Gerry Fritz, said Monday that Asbell's decision to leave has no connection with a congressional office that has shown high turnover levels, or a fumbling Senate campaign.

In fact, whether Harris comes from far behind to beat Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, the doors in the congressional office in Washington will close come January. Current staff members only have about another six months of guaranteed employment.

Fritz said he's not worried that his current job has a time limit because Harris will be in the U.S. Senate, and he, with about 10 years of experience in that chamber, will be right there with her.

Fritz said he already spends a fair amount of time on campaign matters.
In recent months, Harris has lost two campaign managers, a congressional press secretary and a campaign press secretary, among others.

She has faced a 30-point deficit in polling, and lags millions of dollars behind Nelson in fundraising.

Nelson gained $500,000 more in a fundraiser Sunday in South Florida with former President Bill Clinton as the keynote speaker, according to Chad Clanton, Nelson's campaign manager.

Gov. Jeb Bush, who told reporters last month that he doesn't believe Harris can win the race, has advised her to make the campaign about Nelson, not herself. Harris sent out an e-mail to supporters Monday denigrating Nelson's "liberal" record, including votes against the gay marriage amendment and his lack of support for bills backed by the National Rifle Association. (haha I'm sorry... can you say wingnut?)

Jackson won't run

State Rep. Ron Reagan, R-Bradenton, will likely not have a re-election battle after all. Richard Jackson, a former teacher and lobbyist for the Manatee County School Board, filed papers in May to run as a Democrat against Reagan in District 67.

But Jackson sent a letter to the Florida Division of Elections last week saying that he won't run for the seat because of health reasons.

Jackson said Monday that he was recovering from surgery and just didn't have what it takes to wage a campaign.

"You need a lot of energy and a lot of pep and I didn't have either," Jackson said.

Jackson's decision makes things easy on Reagan, but the state representative said he will still work hard on the campaign and will monitor whether anyone else jumps in the race before the July qualifying deadline.

Anyone challenging an incumbent state lawmaker in Florida faces a challenge, as not a single incumbent was defeated in the 2004 elections.

Chamber backs Buchanan

Republican congressional candidate Vern Buchanan has received the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Buchanan, the chief executive of Buchanan Enterprises - an $800 million business venture - served as chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Buchanan is viewed by the chamber as a candidate who will consistently vote for business interests. However, Buchanan's hard-line stance on immigration reform, specifically his view that immigration reform should not contain a guest-worker program or a pathway to citizenship for illegal workers, is at odds with the chamber's stance on the issue. Many business interests worry that the departure of illegal immigrants from the work force would result in a shortage of dependable workers and a hit to the bottom line.

Bill Miller, vice president and national political director at the chamber, said Buchanan's experience in business and understanding of how jobs are created overshadows the fact that he views the immigration debate differently.

"There are many, many different positions on immigration right now in the House and Senate and among candidates," Miller said. "We're going to continue to press forward in making people recognize that a comprehensive solution that isn't just border enforcement is important."

"We don't expect to agree with every candidate on ever issue," Miller said.

Tommy Hopper, Buchanan's campaign manager, said the campaign told the Chamber before the endorsement was made that Buchanan wouldn't change his stance on immigration.

The race in the 13th District contains five Republicans and two Democrats. Here is a sampling of endorsements received by the candidates:

• Christine Jennings, Democrat: National Planned Parenthood; Florida AFL-CIO; former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner.

• Jan Schneider, Democrat: former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich; support from U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

• Tramm Hudson, Republican: former Congressman Dan Miller; Pat Neal, head of Florida Christian Coalition and local developer; Dr. Frances Rice, chair of the National Black Republican Association.

• Nancy Detert, Republican: Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; The Wish List, a fundraising group for pro-choice Republican women candidates.

• Mark Flanagan, Republican: his spokesman, David Johnson, said Flanagan will be releasing a list of endorsements at the end of the month.

• Donna Clarke, Republican: Calls to Clarke's campaign office were not answered Monday.

• Buchanan: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells, State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton.

Support Weak For Katherine Harris In Senate Poll

TAMPA, Fla. -- U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris had weak support in a poll released Thursday that includes the three little-known entries in the Republican U.S. Senate primary.

Only 37 percent of respondents said they favored Harris, compared to 13 percent for Will McBride, 4 percent for LeRoy Collins Jr. and 2 percent for Peter Monroe. Her three opponents all entered the race May 12, which was the last day to get on the Sept. 5 primary ballot.

More respondents -- 43 percent -- didn't choose a candidate. In a head-to-head with Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, Harris trailed Nelson 58-25.

The poll was conducted by Quinnipiac University May 12-22. It surveyed 1,086 registered voters and had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The poll surveyed 424 Republican voters about the primary, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.

"Given how well known Congresswoman Harris is among Republicans and how well thought of she has been by them, it is somewhat surprising that she would only get 37 percent support," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the school's polling institute. "The fact that 63 percent of Republicans say they prefer either the other three or are undecided is remarkable."

Harris spokesman Chris Ingram said, "We don't comment on polls."

Harris's campaign has been troubled nearly from the start with poor fundraising, an effort by GOP leaders to find another candidate, a complete turnover in core campaign staff, her association with a corrupt defense contractor who gave her $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions and her decision to spend $10 million of her own money on the race.

Collins, who's father served as a Democratic governor from 1955 to 1961, is a businessman who retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve as a rear admiral. Monroe is a developer who has worked with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and helped manage the government's savings and loan bailout in the early 1990s. McBride is an Orlando lawyer.

Collins and Monroe said they expected the low numbers, considering that the survey was taken so soon after they got in the race.

"I've got to establish identity, I know that. No surprise, nothing disheartening," Monroe said. "That poll in a month will look very different."

Added Collins: "There's no reason for me to expect as much as I'm showing now, simply because I'm not that well known. Probably what's there is a little name recognition from my dad."

McBride's campaign didn't return phone calls and an e-mail seeking comment. McBride earlier this week said he would not discuss his candidacy until later this month.

Monroe, though, suggested that the 13 percent McBride received was probably boosted by voters recognizing the name from the governor's race four years ago, when Tampa lawyer Bill McBride won the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Jeb Bush. Bill and Will McBride aren't related.

"A lot of people are going to think 'McBride, Hmmm. I think I recognize that name,"' Monroe said.

Nelson increased his lead over Harris even though Harris ran a statewide television ad since an April 20 Quinnipiac poll, which had Nelson ahead 56-27.

Still, the Nelson campaign refused to gloat about the numbers. "We're not paying attention to the polls," said Nelson campaign manager Chad Clanton. "We're expecting it's going to be a tough, competitive race in the end and we're doing everything we can every day to be prepared and we take nothing for granted."

Harris, Wade dined

Twice Lobbyist who bribed another Congress member paid Harris' tab.

When a corrupt defense contractor took Katherine Harris to a posh D.C. restaurant last year, it wasn't the first time he wined and dined the Longboat Key Republican.

Mitchell Wade had taken Harris to dinner at the same high-end restaurant, Citronelle, the year before, a Harris campaign spokesman said Monday.

And just like the 2005 dinner, Harris has acknowledged not paying for her share of the 2004 meal. Spokesman Chris Ingram said it was an "oversight" and Harris has made a charitable donation in the amount that would have covered her share of the tab.

However, Ingram said he did not know how much the donation was for or which charity got it. Harris made the donation with her personal money and not through the campaign, Ingram said.

Wade, the former CEO of MZM Inc., is at the center of an ongoing national bribery scandal. Wade has already pleaded guilty in federal court to bribing U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., and making $32,000 in illegal campaign donations to Harris.

Harris' previous campaign adviser, Ed Rollins, quit her campaign in March, citing the growing controversy with Wade as one of the reasons for his departure.

Harris has been trying to distance herself from the scandal ever since Wade pleaded guilty in February. Harris has repeatedly refused to answer specific questions about her relationship with Wade or Cunningham. In a Sunday television interview on Bay News 9, Harris repeated her standard answer to questions about her relationship with Wade.

"I've done nothing wrong. The Justice Department has not asked me any questions. I simply had the opportunity to have a naval intelligence program in my district," Harris said.

Harris has said that Wade told her he intended to open up a Navy counterintelligence program in Sarasota that would have brought about 40 jobs to the area. Harris put in a $10 million funding request for MZM after her 2005 dinner with Wade, but the proposal was turned down.

Even though Harris went to dinner with Wade twice, there was no reason to suspect he was breaking the law, Ingram said.

In Washington, lobbyists and special interest groups from all industries are always trying to win influence with members of Congress, he said.

They do it by giving lawmakers campaign donations, hosting fund-raisers for them or through personal contacts like the private dinners Wade had with Harris, Ingram said.

"There was no reason to believe he was up to anything that was illegal," he said.

Harris had been making connections within the defense industry even before she was in Congress, documents show. As early as October 2002, Harris was the featured speaker at a fund-raiser at a "Defense Industry Breakfast" with Cunningham and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

The fund-raiser was part of a nearly weeklong money-raising trip Harris was on at the time, just a month before she won the 13th Congressional District seat for the first time.

The day after the defense industry breakfast, Harris was at a fund-raising reception put on by the National Association of Auto Dealers and Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri. The next day, she was at a fund-raiser before The Livingston Group, a well-known Washington, D.C., lobbying firm.

This year, Harris is running for the U.S. Senate. She faces three other Republicans in the Sept. 5 GOP primary. Pinellas County developer Peter Monroe, the son of a former governor; LeRoy Collins Jr.; and Orlando-area attorney Will McBride have all filed to run against Harris.

The winner will face Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, in the November general election.

Oh Mr. President!

Bush and Rep. Katherine Harris share intimate feelings in regards to her run for US Senate


Tampa, FL (APE) - As President Bush descended from Air Force One yesterday in Tampa Florida, he was immediately greeted by Rep. Katherine Harris, R-FL, much to the chagrin of the president's brother Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Harris latched on to the president for several minutes and was observed to speak animatedly with him as they both felt each other out over her controversial decision to attempt to unseat Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in the upcoming election. Governor Jeb Bush has gone repeatedly on record stating that he believes Harris should not seek the position because he feels she cannot win.

As Harris maintained a firm grip on the president, he responded in kind in what could be described as a sort of "menage-a-tet". Bush's expression remained grim throughout the encounter, but he appeared to relax significantly and flush appreciably just before the encounter concluded. Harris smiled confidently as she then strode away with her entourage.

Harris has been under severe pressure in the polls for accepting illegal campaign contributions from defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who is in turn linked to convicted former California Representative Randall "Duke" Cunningham, who now in turn seems to be linked to a growing "prostitution for favors" scandal which was based out of the infamous Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC.

A popular state legislator conceded Wednesday that he lacked the "fire in the belly" to challenge fellow Republican Katherine Harris for a U.S. Senate seat, apparently clearing the way for the beleaguered poster girl of the 2000 presidential recount to challenge Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson.

State Speaker of the House Allan G. Bense had been courted by Gov. Jeb Bush and other Florida Republican Party stalwarts to make a primary bid against Harris, but he said that he wasn't up for the fight or the fundraising.

Only two days earlier, the governor had bestowed what political analysts thought to be the kiss of death on Harris' campaign by saying, "I just don't believe she can win."

And President Bush, the governor's brother, gave Harris a cold shoulder at a party campaign event in Tampa on Tuesday, an awkward encounter made all the more obvious by her clinging to his hand after a perfunctory greeting.

Harris has been polling double digits behind Nelson after embarrassing defections from her staff and the disclosure that she accepted $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions during her 2004 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives from a defense contractor who pleaded guilty to bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe).

Harris rose to national attention after the dead-heat 2000 presidential vote count in Florida when, as secretary of state, she certified the results giving George Bush a whisper-thin lead over Democrat Al Gore to take Florida's electoral votes and the White House.

The 49-year-old, beloved by conservatives and the religious right, has maintained she was only applying the law and doing her job, but a perception has persisted among voters on both sides that she helped steer victory to Bush.

GOP strategists, already worried about Bush's slumping approval ratings and the public's mounting opposition to the Iraq war, reportedly feared Harris' candidacy would mobilize independents and dissuade moderate Republicans from voting.

Stay in Harris!!

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Katherine Harris, overseer of the Florida recount that tipped the presidency to George W. Bush, is gunning for a U.S. Senate seat. But instead of gratefully supporting her, the Republican establishment just wishes she'd go away.

Democrats are having a field day with the candidate's entanglement in a Washington lobbying scandal as well as her uneven political touch -- she once made a speech about a terrorist plot that didn't exist. She's badly trailing Democrat incumbent Bill Nelson in the polls. A slew of staffers have quit her campaign, frustrated by her management style and her tendency to ignore their advice, in particular the suggestion that she forget the whole thing.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the president's brother, told reporters at a recent press briefing that he warned Ms. Harris about becoming a distraction, given the high degree of animus that still surrounds her. "The campaign can't be about her," Gov. Bush said. "I gave her that exact advice. Since then, it's gotten worse."

Last week, Gov. Bush mentioned that some were encouraging state House Speaker Allan Bense to run for the Republican nomination. The filing deadline is Friday. "He would be a great United States senator," Gov. Bush added.

Two days ago, the governor was at his most blunt: "I just don't think she can win," he said.

"I respectfully disagree," responds Ms. Harris, 49 years old, who is currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Clearly at the beginning of the year he said I could win. Last month he said we could turn it around, and we've done that."

Ms. Harris's troubles started not long after President Bush was elected. In 2001, as Florida's secretary of state, she raised eyebrows by encouraging agriculture officials to study "Celestial Drops," a product promoted by a New York rabbi as a cure for citrus-canker disease. In a test, the drops turned out to be useless.

In 2004, two years after winning a seat in Congress, Ms. Harris gave a speech describing a foiled terrorist plot to attack Carmel, Ind. Local officials later said there was no foiled terrorist plot. Ms. Harris said she'd heard about it secondhand.

In February 2006, the momentum behind Ms. Harris's senatorial campaign suddenly sputtered to a halt. Mitchell Wade, a Washington defense contractor, pleaded guilty to criminal charges that included the bribing of a California congressman. Among the counts was making $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions to Ms. Harris, funds that came from employees of Mr. Wade's firm who were reimbursed by their boss.

Mr. Wade also treated Ms. Harris -- identified as "Representative B" in the plea agreement -- to a $2,800 dinner at Citronelle, one of Washington's swankiest restaurants, according to Ed Rollins, a renowned Republican campaigner who for about nine months was Ms. Harris's top strategist.

Ms. Harris says, "clearly there was no quid pro quo" between her and Mr. Wade in accepting the dinner and the donations. Chris Ingram, a spokesman for Ms. Harris, says the congresswoman didn't know the contributions were illegal. In a recent written statement, her campaign explained the size of the restaurant tab by noting that Mr. Wade took home several expensive bottles of wine.

Ms. Harris may get trounced by Sen. Nelson in November, but she remains popular with parts of the Republican base, in part because they see her as someone who came through for the cause. In a late April poll measuring potential candidates conducted by Strategic Vision, a Republican public-relations firm, Ms. Harris led Mr. Bense for the nomination by 38% to 21%, with 41% undecided. None of the other current candidates for the primary are given a serious chance.

Her appeal was evident at a recent Saturday afternoon tea held by the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches. As Ms. Harris breezed through her stump speech, the audience, consisting mostly of women in fancy hats, interrupted frequently with applause. "I have a little bit of a history of sticking to my guns," Ms. Harris told them. "And I'm going to."

Longtime friends say she suffers in a political culture that still resists aggressive women. Ms. Harris herself has repeatedly accused newspapers of doctoring photos to exaggerate her makeup.

The Harris campaign looked like a more viable proposition in mid-2005 when Ms. Harris brought in Mr. Rollins, Ronald Reagan's pugnacious former political director, to run her campaign.

Mr. Rollins reminded would-be primary opponents of Ms. Harris's poll numbers among conservatives as well as her formidable bank account. Ms. Harris, who along with her husband is currently worth as much as $37 million, is a member of one of Florida's best-known families. The football stadium at the University of Florida is named for her late grandfather, a citrus and cattle baron who also served in the Florida Legislature.

Ms. Harris worked in commercial real estate and was active in the arts before entering politics. Today she is married to a Swedish-born businessman she met on a blind date at a Sarasota Opera production of Verdi's "La Forza del Destino."

When news broke about Mr. Wade, the Harris campaign was in turmoil. Ms. Harris, increasingly critical of her staff, turned more frequently to Dale Burroughs, a spiritual adviser to the campaign and founder of the Biblical Heritage Institute for the Behavioral Sciences, a Christian counseling service.

Ms. Burroughs told Ms. Harris that the campaign was not a "holy place" because women were dressed provocatively and the men swore and drank, according to Mr. Rollins. Mr. Ingram, the Harris spokesman, says Ms. Burroughs's role in the campaign has been exaggerated. Ms. Burroughs didn't return calls seeking comment.

In March, several senior advisers, plus representatives of President Bush and his brother, suggested to Ms. Harris that she drop out, according to two former campaign officials. Some in the party worried that her controversial reputation would drag down the entire Republican ticket. At one point, her staff scheduled a news conference to announce her withdrawal, only to see Ms. Harris change her mind.

During an interview soon after on Fox News's "Hannity & Colmes," Ms. Harris made public her fresh resolve. "Let me just answer the burning question," she said. "I'm in this race. And I'm going to win." She pledged to spend up to $10 million of her own fortune to do so.

In private, Mr. Rollins recalls Ms. Harris saying God told her to stay in the race -- God wanted her to be a senator.

The strategist says he responded: "Maybe God wants Nelson to stay a senator and that's why he's encouraging you to stay in."

Ms. Harris denies ever making such a comment, saying it would be "so presumptuous" and not in her character. She allows that Mr. Rollins's response is "pretty funny," even though she says he never said it.

Two weeks after the Fox News appearance, on a day dubbed "Bloody Friday" by ex-staffers, Ms. Harris called a meeting at her Tampa headquarters. She told the remaining professionals she was bringing in new blood.

Mr. Rollins didn't attend and quit within days. He's since moved to running other Republican campaigns. Ms. Harris's new team, more closely affiliated with the Christian right, came in and changed the locks.

Katherine Harris scandal reported

ORLANDO, Fla. — Former staff members for US Representative Katherine Harris say she directed staff members to submit a defense contractor's ten million-dollar appropriation request after they rejected it. The request is being challenged by a congressional watchdog group.

Today's edition of the Orlando Sentinel says Harris insisted the request be submitted although it was late and hard to understand. The newspaper cites Harris' former chief political strategist Ed Rollins. Rollins left the campaign in April.

Harris spokesman Chris Ingram declined to comment.

The congressional watchdog group Common Cause has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Harris tried to obtain the appropriation in return for the financial support of the defense contractor.

Her campaign calls the complaint “false and outrageous.”

Harris is trying to unseat Senator Bill Nelson, but statewide polls show her trailing the Florida Democrat by double digits.

Harris injects $3 million into Senate campaign

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems for Harris

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris raised slightly more than $1 million for the first quarter of this year and pumped another $3 million of her own money into her campaign for the U.S. Senate, according to reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission.

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Brevard County raised $2.9 million and has $10.3 million in cash on hand.

Harris, R-Longboat Key, reported she had $3.7 million in cash on hand.

Experts predict this year's race could cost each candidate about $20 million.

Not counting her $3 million loan during the past quarter and a $250,000 loan last year, Harris has raised nearly $3.4 million in contributions since entering the race last summer.

Harris has committed to putting $10 million of her own money into the campaign, a drop in the bucket for Katherine Harris.

The pace of Harris' fund-raising last quarter was virtually identical to the fourth quarter last year, abysmal.

Nelson's pace was a nearly 50 percent increase, from $2 million to nearly $3 million. Since the beginning of 2005, Nelson has raised a total of $12.9 million.

"This shows the broad support that Bill Nelson is receiving across the state of Florida," said Chad Clanton, Nelson's campaign manager. "It's a sign that people like his centrist, common-sense leadership and want to retain him in office."

Harris spokesman Chris Ingram said, "We are pleased with the... support, uh yeah... the campaign continues to receive from hard-working men and women who want common-sense representation (our pollster told us to say that) in Washington, D.C. The campaign is focused on fighting for Florida's families, seniors and small businesses, Illegal Imigrants that work in Florida's groves, Exxon Mobile, and Walmart. We look forward to taking on our liberal puppy eating liberal, did I mention liberal? Democrat opponent in November and expect to have the funds necessary to effectively share our message with the people of Florida."

Harris' Senate campaign marked by turmoil

Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - There are two sides to Republican Rep. Katherine Harris - one that attracts talented people to her, and another that drives them away.

The stories from former staff members are consistent, whether they worked with her at the Florida secretary of state's office, in her congressional office or on her current campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson:

The woman who was both celebrated and vilified for overseeing the 2000 Florida recount is smart, charming and energetic and works hard and she has giant boobies. She is also a micromanager, easily angered and sometimes bursts into tears like a psycho bitch. If she doesn't like what she is being told, she refuses to accept it, puts her fingers in her ears and goes "lalalalala."

As a result, her congressional office has been a revolving door, and in recent weeks, she lost what was left of her original core campaign staff.

"She is very, very hard on the people that work for her," said Jim Dornan, her Senate campaign manager until he left last November. Other staffers painted a similar picture but would not be quoted by name.

At the end of last month, one of her top advisers, Ed Rollins, a political aide to President Reagan, resigned along with her campaign manager, her press secretary and other key staff members, quitting an operation that some GOP insiders have depicted as a political train wreck.

Harris, 49, was lampooned by the Democrats as the heavily made-up Cruella De Vil of the Florida GOP during the 2000 recount, when as secretary of state she certified President Bush's 537-vote victory and handed him the White House.

Some GOP figures tried to talk her out of entering the Senate race and have tried more recently to get her to drop out, for fear she is so polarizing a figure that she will bring Democrats to the polls in droves and drag down the entire Republican ticket in Florida.

Despite trailing badly in the polls and struggling to raise money, Harris has said she is determined to stay in the race. The citrus and cattle heiress said she intends to spend $10 million of her own money on the contest.

"I understand the caricature that exists, but when people have a chance to meet me firsthand, they are excited," she said recently.

Harris refused to discuss her staff problems.

"We're just moving forward. We're over talking about the process because it has nothing to do with what people care about in Florida," she said. "They don't care about my staff or any of those other issues."

Before she made her new start last month, her old staff described her as increasingly emotional and distrusting as her campaign began to spiral downward. They said she began relying more on personal friends rather than highly regarded political professionals.

"Katherine wasn't listening to us and didn't agree on the direction of the campaign," Rollins said.

She began mistreating people, including one of her closest consultants, Adam Goodman, Rollins said.

Goodman, who resigned last month, had been with Harris since her first campaign, a state Senate race that she won despite the skeptics who said she had no chance. He then helped her earn the secretary of state job, a position she again was told she could not win. He also worked her two House campaigns.

"Someone like Adam Goodman, who knows Florida and is better than anybody in the business, wasn't being appreciated," Rollins said. "We're professionals. We're doing the best we can, but if she doesn't want to take the advice, fine. We'll move on."

Harris' staff problems are not new. One former employee in the secretary of state's office, who did not want to be identified because of his current position, said Harris once became so angry she snapped a calligraphy fountain pen, spraying ink over his face and suit. For him, that was the last straw and he left.

Another employee at the time described the good and bad in Harris.

"Katherine Harris is a tremendously intense politician. She means well, but like any other politician, her judgment can get clouded by her intensity," said Bill Pfeiffer, who served as assistant secretary of state under Harris and also worked in her state Senate office.

In Congress, Harris has served less than four years and has already had four chiefs of staff. She is now looking for her fourth press secretary in less than a year. There has been similar turnover in other key positions.

Nelson, in contrast, has several staff members who has stuck with him since his days as Florida state treasurer. His chief of staff, Pete Mitchell, has been with him for 10 years, his press secretary, Bryan Gulley, for eight.

"I would definitely be concerned about turnover in a congressional staff," said Dan McLaughlin, Nelson's communication director and an 11-year employee. "If you don't have a cohesive group, you can't get the job done."

And having a cohesive group is also important to a campaign, said Geoffrey Becker, former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida.

"Florida is a diverse state. It does have a history of very tough campaigns. It would have been helpful to have consultants and advisers and field staff that understand the dynamics and differences between north and south Florida, west Florida and all parts of the state," he said.

Harris' replacement team is largely unknown in the state and includes a campaign manager who has specialized in Illinois legislative races.

Harris Loses Another Key Player

TAMPA - Katherine Harris' U.S. Senate bid suffered a major blow Monday with the departure of advertising consultant Adam Goodman, of Tampa, her most loyal political adviser for more than 12 years.

The departure raises questions about how long the struggling Harris campaign can stay alive. Goodman, one of more than half a dozen key staff members to leave the campaign since last fall, said Harris is likely to be the subject of a barrage of negative political ads as the race nears its close this fall.

"I can't think of a strategy to protect her against them," Goodman said.

Asked whether he advised Harris to leave the race, as another top strategist suggested earlier, Goodman said only, "She hasn't followed my counsel."

He said Harris "seems very determined to persevere" with the campaign.

This weekend, Goodman was the subject of one of the erratic public statements Harris has made since the unexpected death of her father in January - an event Goodman and other longtime associates say has deeply affected her.

Speaking to a reporter off the cuff during a campaign stop Saturday, Harris accused Goodman of leaking a story to a newspaper about personnel defections. Harris later called the reporter and retracted the comment.

Goodman said that wasn't the reason for his decision.

Of the four top political strategists on the Harris team, Goodman is the third to leave the campaign. Pollster Ed Goeas and fundraiser Anne Dunsmore left two weeks ago. Goeas said he advised Harris to drop out. The fourth, general political consultant Ed Rollins, said Monday he does not plan to leave.

"At the end of the day, we all basically work as a team to help the candidate," Rollins said. "None of us are irreplaceable, but Adam probably comes as close as anyone could be."

Three of Harris' remaining top staff members - campaign manager Jamie Miller, spokeswoman Morgan Dobbs and field coordinator Megan Ortagus - also have been the subject of news reports that they will leave.

Dobbs said Monday that all three were still working for the campaign. Asked whether they expected to continue, she repeated that they were still working there.

Rollins said those who have left "care very much about Katherine. ... They're leaving with sadness. Everybody cares about her and sees tough times ahead. They don't want to see her go through that."

A statement Monday by Goodman's Tampa-based firm The Victory Group Inc. announcing his departure said, "Katherine has been a tremendous client and friend over the years. ... We wish her the best."

Dobbs immediately issued a response: "Adam Goodman has been an integral part of Katherine's political success, and his talents and spirit will be sorely missed."

Goodman has worked for 11 House members and five senators in nine states. His clients have included Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Trent Lott. He has worked on every political campaign in Harris' career: her 1994 state Senate race, her 1998 race for secretary of state and her 2002 and 2004 congressional elections.

His job is to plan advertising strategy, produce ads and buy the time. He also has planned major public events for Harris.

"A lot of people who have been around her for a long time feel very sad about what she's confronting in this campaign and has yet to confront," Goodman said. "I can't and others can't protect her from the onslaught to come. It's like a defenseless fighter in the ring with his arms down."

Harris' problems began with slow fundraising and reluctance by leaders in her own party to accept her as their candidate - problems she seemed to be overcoming at the start of this year.

Then Harris was linked to a campaign finance and bribery scandal involving defense contractor Mitchell Wade. Pleading guilty to bribing a California congressman, Wade also acknowledged giving Harris illegal political contributions. Prosecutors said he did not tell her the contributions were illegal, and she said she did not know.

Then, with fundraising again drying up, Harris announced she would put $10 million of her own money into the campaign.

When she made this announcement on a national political talk show, Harris indicated the money was the legacy of her father, a Bartow banker who died unexpectedly in January - but that wasn't the case. She since has said the money will come from sales of her own assets.

Dobbs said Harris has acknowledged that she "should have been more specific" initially as to source of the money.

Goodman said friends of Harris' are concerned about her welfare in the campaign.

"Her father's death had a real impact on her," he said. "He was clearly the most significant person in her life."

Because of her national reputation, stemming from her role in the 2000 Florida presidential election recount, Goodman said, "She'll be the biggest political scalp people could claim nationally. ... She's going to be exposed to a vicious series of attacks."

That would remain true, he said, even if Harris chose to run for re-election to her U.S. House seat instead of the Senate.

DEPARTURES

Here are some key people who have left Katherine Harris' campaign staff and congressional office since fall:

CAMPAIGN

Adam Goodman - media consultant

Nancy Watkins - campaign treasurer

Ed Goeas - pollster

Anne Dunsmore - fundraiser

Jim Dornan - campaign manager

Leah Pitts - deputy finance director

Mike Miller - finance director

Michelle Query - finance director

CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE

Kara Borie - spokeswoman

Peggy Evans - deputy chief of staff

Ryan Work - legislative director

Harris tries to revive Senate campaign in central Florida

From the "Are you kidding me? " files:

ORLANDO, Fla. - The roughly 100 people packed into a fairgrounds building for a concealed carry handgun class looked up blankly Saturday as U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris entered.

Hands blackened by fingerprinting ink, they listened, many with seeming half-interest, as Harris talked about her political record, gun rights, making President Bush's tax cuts permanent and helping small businesses.

They erupted into applause when weapons instructor and Pasco County Republican Chairman Bill Bunting told them of Harris' A+ rating with the National Rifle Association.

....

A week and a half after reaffirming her candidacy on national television and pledging $10 million of her own money to run it, Harris continued trying to shore up the GOP base in Florida on Saturday. Her "grassfire campaign" for Senate stretched from breakfast in Kissimmee to an Orlando gun show, where Myers took the concealed carry class, and a barbecue later in Daytona Beach.

Harris faces an uphill campaign against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, with weak support from national Republicans who tried unsuccessfully to field a candidate against her and the departure of high-level staffers who urged her to drop out of an unwinnable race.

Besides low approval from Democrats and independents from her role in certifying the 2000 presidential election for President Bush, Harris faces double-digit poll deficits and ties to a bribery scandal that sent another U.S. House representative to prison.

Still, she remains optimistic about the campaign, and told each constituent offering a "hang in there" that she planned to win.

"I think there's a lot of stake for the future," Harris told supporters gathered for a lunch event. "I think how Florida goes, the rest of the nation goes."

At the gun show, Bunting led Harris between tables of assault rifles, knives, bullets and pistols to meet with patrons and dealers.

"Everybody she reaches out to here, they'll be reaching out to their customers," Bunting said.

Terry Corbell, a registered Democrat from Panama City who bought three handguns at the show, wanted to confront Harris about the 2000 election.

"I don't like any of you, I don't trust you all one bit," he told her. "You're all crooks and liars."

Harris later joked to reporters, "You heard that - he said he was talking about Democrats, too."

Most gun show attendees, like Myers, were supportive, but several doubted Harris could successfully unseat Nelson.

"You impressed me with the Senate, throwing everything in lock, stock and barrel," Richard Wallace, a 50-year-old electronic technician from Oviedo, told Harris.

But after the candidate hopeful moved on to shake more hands, Wallace said: "I wish the Republican Party was more behind her. I'm not sure what her chances are."

Putting it on the line...

Well Sort Of...

"And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.'" (Mark 12:41-44)

WASHINGTON — Rep. Katherine Harris told a national television audience Tuesday she "will not own anything" after pumping $10 million of her personal fortune into her flagging U.S. Senate campaign.

In her second national television appearance in as many weeks, Harris, a Republican from Longboat Key, told ABC News Nightline correspondent John Donvan she was "willing to put everything on the line" in her bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, according to a transcript of the interview ABC released Tuesday.

Last week, Harris appeared on the Fox News show Hannity & Colmes to announce her commitment to use $10 million of her own money to fund a campaign expected to cost about $20 million. Harris' appearance on that show was intended to squelch widespread rumors she might drop out of the race.

Harris said her pledge would temporarily level the field in the race where Nelson had an $8 million to $1 million lead over Harris in campaign cash-on-hand at the beginning of the year.

A granddaughter of cattle and real estate magnate Ben Hill Griffin Jr., Harris said on Nightline that after funding her campaign she would "not own anything," but her husband, Anders Ebbeson, would still own real estate.

According to her 2005 congressional financial disclosure statement, Harris has assets worth between $1.4 million and $6 million. In addition, she sold stock in BHG Inc. (named for her grandfather) two years ago worth between $5.1 million and $25.2 million.

Only ranges of Harris' assets' worth are available because of the format of the federal financial disclosure forms, which require office holders to indicate which range each of their assets fits in.

Ebbeson owns assets valued at between $5.4 million and $31 million, the largest chunk in InterCon Marketing Inc., a Sarasota-based distributor of marine and recreational vehicle products.

The financial disclosure statement, filed each year in June, did not include any assets Harris received or will receive from the estate of her father, George Harris, who died in January. His assets were reportedly worth more than $750 million.

Asked whether a candidate who could afford to put $10 million into her campaign could relate to the poor, Harris noted that Nelson "is a wealthy man as well."

"I am willing to take this widow's mite, this pearl of great price, and put everything on the line," she said, using various Biblical phrases describing financial sacrifice.

Nelson's assets, primarily in undeveloped land in Brevard County, range from $1.7 million to $6.7 million, according to his financial disclosure statement.

Harris' campaign has foundered amid sluggish fund-raising efforts, high staff turnover and resistance to her candidacy among key GOP political operatives. Last month, Harris was dealt a blow when Mitchell Wade, principal owner of defense contractor MZM Inc., pleaded guilty in federal court to bribing former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., and making illegal contributions to Harris' previous congressional races.

Harris has said she did not know the contributions were illegal and recently donated more than $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity to offset the MZM contributions.

If you can't win at the ballot on merrit..

It's time to buy votes baby!!

Harris contributing $10 million to her Senate campaign

WASHINGTON - Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla., used a national television audience Wednesday night to try to jump-start her faltering Senate campaign, announcing that she would pour $10 million of her own money into the race.

Harris' appearance on the Fox News program "Hannity & Colmes" capped weeks of speculation about whether she would drop out of the race against Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., because of problems with fundraising, staff turnover and the fallout from her acceptance of illegal campaign contributions.

Harris, not a popular choice among party leaders who tried to recruit other candidates to run, kept her decision mostly to herself until Wednesday night.

"I'm in this race. I'm going to win," Harris said. "I'm going to put everything on the line ... everything that I have, and I am going to put it in this race."

The $10 million will come from an inheritance from Harris' father, she said, who died earlier this year. (Money well spent? hah!)

Republican strategists had joked they should start a betting pool on whether she would drop out or not after she announced last Saturday that a "major announcement" was coming soon.

Political analysts had differing views Wednesday on whether an infusion of her own wealth would change the dynamics of the race. She has lagged far behind Nelson in the polls (20 points in the most recent survey just hours before her announcement) and has come under fire for taking tainted money from a defense contractor who pleaded guilty to bribing Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif.

"I'm convinced her campaign is mortally wounded," said Jim Kane, a pollster for the nonpartisan Florida Voter. Harris is running against a popular opponent who appeals to independent voters in Florida, while Harris is a "very polarizing figure," he said.

But David Johnson, a Tallahassee political consultant and former state party director, said Harris' decision to finance her campaign could turn things around.

"Money begets money. If she's willing to make that investment, people will say `Okay, I'll invest in her.'" Johnson said.

Jennifer Duffy, who handicaps Senate races for the Cook Political Report, said the money will free Harris' time for campaigning, which is a strong suit. But Duffy said Nelson still has the advantage in the race.

Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin said the announcement doesn't change the problems Harris has had.

"Basically the past week or so has been nothing but a stageshow - a series of theatrics which would seem to be intended to deflect attention from all her troubles," McLaughlin said

Harris was just beginning to get GOP leaders behind her bid when the news hit that she had accepted money from Mitchell Wade and his company MZM Inc.

She also asked House leaders for $10 million in federal aid for his company because, she said, MZM would have brought jobs to her Sarasota district.

She returned $50,000 in checks from Wade and his associates after finding out he had illegally repaid MZM workers for their personal donations to Harris.

Thomas Rooney, whose family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers, has considered running in the GOP primary against Harris. He said Wednesday he will weigh how Republican leaders react to the latest announcement before deciding whether to run. Rooney, 35, who runs an orphanage, said he could only put $100,000 of his personal money into a race so he needs to be practical.

Harris can draw on family money for her donations. Her grandfather, Ben Hill Griffin, was a citrus and cattle baron. Last year, she sold $5 million in family stock to settle a family dispute over the inheritance.

Harris and her husband were worth somewhere between $7.8 million and $36.9 million, according to federal financial disclosure reports, which list assets in wide ranges.

That does not include the value of her homes. And it does not include anything she inherits from her father, George Harris, a banker who died of a heart attack in January.

McLaughlin said Florida's Senate seat is so coveted by the national GOP that Nelson knew his opponent would have plenty of money.

"We knew whoever the GOP candidate was going to be was going to be well funded. I guess it doesn't matter if it was her money or someone else's money - or in this case her inheritance."

Harris' personal infusion of money will help close a big fundraising gap that has plagued her campaign. At the end of the year, Nelson had $8 million in his war chest, compared with $1 million for Harris, despite her national connections and name recognition.

That name recognition could swing both ways, though. While her role as Florida's secretary of state during the controversial 2000 presidential election might help her with Republicans, GOP insiders know it also could motivate Democrats to turn out in droves to vote against her.

Nelson also could be helped by a 2002 campaign finance reform law. That law includes a "millionaires amendment" meant to help candidates whose opponents pump big money into their races.

It allows the person not using personal funds to triple or even multiply by six times the usual limits of $2,100 per individual donation. But the amendment also includes provisions for when the opponent has substantial funds raised himself.

Harris would not be the first candidate to use personal wealth to run a campaign. Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., pumped $60 million of his Wall Street riches into a winning campaign. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., put more than $10 million of his department store riches into his last two campaigns.

Massie Ritsch of the Center for Responsive Politics said most of the millionaire candidates lose - but not because they are millionaires. Most are challengers whose odds are generally longer than incumbents'.

Nick Nyhart, head of Public Campaign, which advocates public financing of campaigns, said the personal donation does help candidates claim they aren't beholden to special interests.

"For the rest of America it's terrible. It says if you want to run for office you have to be independently wealthy or depend on people who are. In a democracy neither of those choices is a good one," Nyhart said.

Harris announcement to come via national TV

SARASOTA - Plans for U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris to make a "major campaign announcement" in Florida today have apparently been scrapped.

Instead, Harris, a Republican congresswoman from Longboat Key, is expected to make a statement regarding her campaign on the Fox program "Hannity & Colmes," according to a representative from her campaign.

Some GOP leaders have urged Harris to get out of the race, saying she cannot win and that her role as Florida's secretary of state during the 2000 presidential recount could drive Democrats and independents to the polls in droves.

Harris canceled a trip to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference last weekend and said she would soon end the speculation about her campaign.

The lack of party support for Harris' challenge to Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson led to lower-than-expected campaign contributions. She has struggled to gain ground in polls and began the year trailing Nelson in fundraising, $8 million to $1 million.

Her campaign has had difficulties since she entered the race last summer. GOP leaders in Washington sought a primary opponent for her, believing her role in securing President Bush's 537-vote victory would galvanize Democrats and independents against her.

Her campaign became more difficult after a defense contractor involved in a bribery scandal said he also gave Harris illegal campaign contributions.

Mitchell Wade, the former president of MZM Inc., admitted making $32,000 in illegal contributions to Harris' 2004 campaign for the House. Wade also pleaded guilty to bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who was sent to prison earlier this month for bribery.

Harris said she did not knowingly do anything illegal and said she would donate the money to charity.

Katherine Harris Senate Petition

Well, it seems the buzz in Florida's political rumor mill is that Katherine Harris is considering dropping out of the race. I say no! No! We must brighten her spirits and keep her in the race. So, I'm blogging an informal petition for Harris to stay in the race until May 12th, the filing deadline. Who else is with me?!

She may have an 8-to-1 fundraising disadvantage and a huge polling disadvantage, but that wouldn't stop a politico like her would it?

Stay until May! Stay until May! The netroots cry for more!

1. Event Horizon
2. The Angry Sicilian
3. Katherine Harris for Senate
4.
5.

Harris Campaign Circling the Wagons

PORT CHARLOTTE -- Already trying to avoid the media, Longboat Key Republican
Katherine Harris is now canceling campaign stops in Southwest Florida as questions swirl about her ties to a Washington, D.C., defense contractor at the center of an ongoing national bribery scandal.

Harris, who is running for the U.S. Senate, abruptly canceled a stop in Charlotte
County on Saturday, and four other events planned for Lee and Collier counties were removed from her campaign Web site.

It's another sign that Harris' struggling campaign is now in full crisis mode. Political consultants say that shying away from the public right now is also a bad strategy.

"She can't hide and expect this to go away," said David Johnson, a Republican political consultant. "It looks like her campaign is circling the wagons."

Brandon-based political consultant Mark Proctor said he advises clients to hold court early with the media to avoid a story dragging on for a week, as it has with Harris. The longer the story goes on, the more likely it is for voters to remember the issue come Election Day, he said.

Harris may not be talking to the media and staying away from some events, but she is trying to control the damage in other ways. And she recently told her backers that she is making a fund-raising push over the next few months.

Harris organized a conference call on Friday with her most loyal supporters in which she downplayed her connections to MZM Inc., saying, "There is nothing to it except for the press trying to be negative."

The company's owner admitted in federal court that he gave $32,000 in illegal
campaign donations to Harris.

Continuing with the conference call, Harris described a campaign on a roll and
gaining momentum daily. She said prominent national politicians, like U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., hosted a fund-raising event for her in
Washington last week, proof that all is well.

"Now there is a buzz in Washington," Harris said on the call.

Harris' ties to defense contractor MZM Inc. have been under the microscope since
Feb. 24.

That's the day when MZM founder Mitchell Wade admitted to bribing one member of Congress and giving Harris illegal contributions in March 2004.

Over a private dinner in Washington, D.C., Wade and Harris talked about "obtaining funding and approval" for a Navy counterintelligence program that Wade wanted to open in Sarasota, Justice Department records show.

After that dinner meeting, Harris put in a $10 million budget request to the Defense Appropriations subcommittee to fund the project. Days later, an employee in Harris' congressional office went to work for Wade at MZM.

The funding for the project never was approved.

Justice Department officials have refused to comment on Harris' role in the
investigation, saying the probe is ongoing.

Harris still hasn't granted any interviews about the issue, but told supporters on
the telephone that she did nothing wrong.

"It was a legitimate project in our district for high-skilled, high-wage jobs,"
Harris said.

Federal investigators have said that Wade never told Harris that the 16 checks of
$2,000 each in the name of MZM employees and their spouses were obtained illegally.

Harris told her supporters on Friday's conference call that federal investigators
have never asked her any questions about Wade or MZM.

While Harris spoke to some of her supporters by phone a day earlier, others waiting for her in Port Charlotte on Saturday were upset that Harris canceled her trip to that county.

"I'm really disappointed," said Charlotte County Republican Party Chairman Bob
Starr.

Harris' staff confirmed two days earlier that she would be at a ribbon-cutting to
open a new party headquarters in Charlotte.

But Starr said Harris' staff called back to cancel after he had already sent notices
promoting the event.

Harris' campaign staff declined to comment, and have offered no explanation for why Harris canceled the Charlotte trip. They also did not say how many other events were taken off her schedule.

Prominent Republicans continue to back her campaign.

"Katherine Harris is going to make a great U.S. senator," U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said in video greeting to the Manatee County Republican Party last week.

Also in Manatee County, Florida Republican Party Chairman Carol Jean Jordan called Harris the hardest-working campaigner she knows and said she would beat Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, in November.

Even U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., who has been cool to Harris' candidacy,
invited Harris to a weekly Republican caucus meeting, usually reserved only for
Republican senators. The next day, Harris attended a Washington fund-raiser.

"It says the Republican leadership has accepted the political reality that Katherine Harris will be the GOP candidate for the United States Senate," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

The best thing going for Harris, said Sabato, is that most Americans already believe Washington is so corrupt that Harris hasn't done anything abnormal.

Most people already believe everyone in Congress takes bundles of cash from contractors, he said, and may see nothing new or outrageous about a scenario in which a contractor asks Harris for favors over dinner.

Others caution against reading too much into the public support for Harris during her latest crisis.

Johnson said he isn't surprised at the public support for Harris, but it doesn't
mean much.

While top Republicans are sticking by her, Harris can expect fund-raising to get a
lot harder, particularly in Florida, Johnson said.

Harris has struggled to raise money, and has put $250,000 of her own money into her campaign. Nelson has $8 million.

"It's going to get worse," Johnson said. "Nobody is going to want to give her
money."

In the conference call, Harris told her supporters she is planning fund-raisers in
California, Texas, New York and Illinois. And she said television talk show host
Sean Hannity is planning a bus tour with her through Florida.

"The campaign is really off to the races," Harris said.

Katherine Harris Plays Dumb

Defense contractor Mitchell J. Wade pled guilty yesterday to election law fraud, among other charges for making illegal campaign contributions, including $32,000 in illegal contribution to Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL).

Katherine Harris claims she had no idea there was anything amiss when she received the contributions. In a statement she said the incident “demonstrates the perils of a process in which candidates are sometimes asked to determine the intent of a contributor.”

Her story isn’t very credible, for three reasons –

1. The illegal donations arrived on the same day. Had various employees of MZM independently decided to donate money to Harris there wouldn’t have been any problem. The donations were illegal because they were coordinated by Mitchell Wade, who reimbursed his employees. Seven MZM employees sent 28K in donation on the same day, March 23, 2004. (Mitchell’s wife, Christiane sent 4K a week later.) It’s theoretically possible that all seven employees just happened to independently send maximum contributions to the same candidate on the same day, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize they were coordinated.

2. MZM was Harris’ largest campaign contributor by far. Money from MZM employees and PAC was the top source of cash for Harris’ campaign by a more than 2-to-1 margin. This makes it virtually impossible that she wasn’t aware of the suspiciously timed transaction. Here’s a chart of her top contributors from Open Secrets:

3. Wade told Harris his intentions. He took Harris out to lunch and told her MZM wanted an earmark for a defense project. According to the Washington Post, Harris asked for it but wasn’t able to get it. Harris knew exactly what Wade expected in return for the cash and did what she could to get for him.

Perhaps Harris is completely innocent. The available evidence, however, doesn’t support that conclusion.

Harris campaign problematic

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/13978124.htm

Lagging poll numbers. Lackluster fundraising. The loss of two more campaign staffers. And playing the battle of perception versus reality with campaign contributions from a former defense contractor that just pleaded guilty to bribing a California congressman.

What does this all mean for Republican congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris?

"At this point Florida cannot be considered a top-tier Senate race for Republicans," said David Johnson, chief executive of Strategic Vision LLC, a Republican political consulting firm in Atlanta.

According to two recent polls, Harris, R-Longboat Key, was facing not less than a 15-point deficit against her opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. She recently lost her campaign treasurer and her campaign finance director - and she lost her manager late last year. Harris' last campaign finance report showed she raised a little over $1 million, which is about $5.5 million short of what Nelson has raised.

"Her problem is that people seem to have formed their opinions and they're not changing their opinion," Johnson said. "She's not reintroducing herself to Florida voters."

Harris doesn't have enough money to run the statewide television ads necessary to change attitudes, Johnson said.

MZM Inc., the former defense contractor that pleaded guilty to bribing California Congressman Randy Cunningham, gave Harris $50,000 for her 2004 election. Harris has given the money to charity, but must battle perception in a political climate that is in a frenzy about ethics.

Once Harris announced her candidacy for the Senate, her campaign said it would take her accomplishments to voters to stamp out the caricatures of her painted during the 2000 presidential recount.

But since last June, Johnson said, Harris' numbers in Strategic Vision polls have dropped slightly.

Harris' hope could lie in a comparison with U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, who overcame early polling and fundraising deficits to beat incumbent Republican Spencer Abraham in 2000.

But with eight months remaining in a big-money race, time is no longer in excess.

Katherine Harris Delusional Over Iraq Progress

PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- Just back from Iraq, US Representative Katherine Harris brought her Senate campaign to Pensacola, an area of the state that's dominated by the military.

She told small groups that the United States is succeeding in the war and troops don't want to be brought home yet.

Harris told a crowd of about two dozen in a small park near downtown Pensacola that Iraqi police and troops, with U-S help, are doing a better job of finding and defeating insurgents.

But she says the country still needs help restoring its banking system and upgrading oil production, describing drilling rigs held together with chicken wire.

Harris, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson.

She was well received in this area that tends to be more socially conservative than other parts of the state.

George W. Harris Jr. Dies of Heart Attack

The Ledger

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20060113/NEWS/60113003/1039

George W. Harris Jr., 71 , chairman and president of Citrus & Chemical Bank, died today after suffering a heart attack while playing tennis.

Harris was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center where doctors were unable to revive him, officials said.

He is the father of U.S. Senate candidate and Congresswoman Katherine Harris.

Harris is credited with taking over a small bank in the 1950s and made it into a strong community bank with branches throughout the county.

Citrus and Chemical is the oldest continually existing bank that is still locally owned. As other local banks were bought out by large bank holding companies, Harris made television ads promising that his bank would always remain locally owned.

Known for his relaxed demeanor and often casual presence at formal events, Harris once joked that he didn't want "to look like a bank president."

He was a strong supporter of his daughter's political activities and often showed up in other cities to campaign for her.

-----

When she assumed the official title of Sec of State in January 1999, Harris embarked on a tour to promote trade with the state of Florida, traveling to Rio de Janeiro and Barbados on relationship-building missions. One newspaper dubbed her "a Florida version of Madeleine Albright."

The granddaughter of the late Florida citrus baron Ben Hill Griffin, and a multimillionaire in her own right, she was the talk of Republican circles. Some viewed her as a potential U.S. Senate candidate, while others pegged her for an ambassadorship in a George W. Bush administration, given her ties to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and her co-chairmanship of Bush's Florida presidential campaign committee.

---

Are you the direct relative of a wealthy banker or a citrus baron? No? Then don't vote for this Purge Princess!!

Rep. Harris upbeat on Senate run, for a longshot.

Now a long shot, Delusional Harris says she's focused on Senate run...


http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20051229/NEWS/512290335

TALLAHASSEE BUREAU

TALLAHASSEE -- It would seem that few in Florida politics suffered through a more miserable 2005 than Katherine Harris.

The Longboat Key congresswoman's attempt to replace incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in the 2006 election was impeded by her own Republican Party leaders who engaged in a public attempt to find another candidate.

Polls show her trailing Nelson badly, she failed to meet her own fund-raising targets, and the caricatures from her role in the 2000 presidential election were resurrected.

Worried? Not she.

"It's been a great year," she said, rattling off a list of accomplishments in Congress and praising a re-energized campaign team.

Her former campaign manager cited Harris' fixation on her work in Congress as a reason for abruptly leaving his post earlier this year. Harris says she's now fully focused on the campaign.

She cites a fund-raising tour that will begin next month with Fox News talk show host Sean Hannity as the host in six Florida cities.

"Whenever you have to get into a campaign, I think there's always a mental transition it takes me to get there. I'm certainly focused now and excited," she said.

Harris said the media "kind of jumped the gun on me" by devoting so much attention to her campaign.

"I hadn't really intended to start the campaign so early," she said, decrying the "fabrications" of her campaign's woes as "neither true nor having an effect."

She notes that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report still lists the race as competitive, despite polls repeatedly showing Nelson with up to a 20-percentage point lead.

"That may be the hopes of the media," she said. "I don't think they'd be writing about it if they weren't worried we'd win."

Republicans spent much of 2005 trying to find someone else to run against Nelson, fearing Harris' controversial role as Florida's secretary of state in the 2000 election would make her a long shot.

The biggest sign of desperation came when House Speaker Allan Bense, well-respected in Tallahassee but little-known around the state, was courted in a White House meeting with President George W. Bush's top advisers.

On top of that, Harris' fund-raising ability -- assumed to be a strength given her national fame from her role in the 2000 presidential election as Florida's Secretary of State -- has instead disappointed, falling short of the $1 million she predicted. She has about $470,000 in her campaign account compared to nearly $6.5 million for Nelson.

National pundits speculated that Republican leaders were urging GOP donors to avoid giving to squeeze Harris out of the race.

David E. Johnson, a Republican consultant and CEO of Atlanta-based Strategic Vision, said Harris can take some solace in the fact that she is still the lone Republican in the race and that she is still above 30 percent in polls. But the best sign for Republicans is that Nelson is still showing lukewarm support in polls, hovering around 50 percent.

"Nationally," Republicans "are very worked up about a lot of Senate races, and Florida is very doable for Republicans to pick up this seat," Johnson said. But he added that Republican support for Harris has yet to build.

"They're going to continue to undermine her. ... They'd love to get her out," he said, adding that if Harris fails to raise $2 million in the last three months of this year, "she's in serious trouble."

Johnson and others speculate that another weak fund-raising quarter by Harris would allow national Republicans to again ask Bense, U.S. Rep. Mark Foley and others to enter the race with a promise of aggressive fund-raising help.

For Democrats, the stakes are even higher. Nelson is the lone statewide-elected Democrat in Florida, with Republicans holding the other Senate seat, the governor's mansion and all three cabinet posts.

With control of the U.S. House firmly in Republican hands, Democrats' best hopes lie in keeping their Senate seats and winning a few more to reverse the 55-44 seat majority the GOP has.

Dave Beattie, a Democratic consultant and pollster who is working for Nelson, said the race is "not a gimme" given Florida's Republican strength.

The 2006 election "determines Florida's future in 2008," Beattie said. "If there are no statewide elected Democratic officials in Florida, then Florida is not going to be a battleground state for the presidential race."

Nelson has been in full campaign mode, fund-raising around the state and taking a high-profile, bipartisan stance against oil drilling.

Nelson's campaign manager, Chad Clanton, said they're not being distracted by the hole Harris is currently in as the new year begins.

"We at the campaign are preparing for a tough race and for whatever comes," Clanton said. "We're never lifting off the gas till the day after the election."

Katherine Harris to Nix Senate Bid?

Katherine Harris, who rose to national prominence as the Florida official who certified President Bush's 2000 election victory, may be about to drop her Senate bid, according to columnist Robert Novak.

Elected to the House in 2002, Harris's name quickly surfaced as a potential challenger to first-term Democrat Bill Nelson.

But as Novak reports, Harris' campaign has sputtered almost from the start. Her staff suffers from repeated turnovers and fundraising is lagging - she may rend up raising less than $500,000 this quarter.

Polls currently show Harris trailing Nelson by at least 16-points.

Still, the former Florida secretary of state remains popular with conservative voters.

"She is the epitome of a strong partisan, and that's always an issue with her," Sen. Nelson's pollster, Dave Beattie, told The Hill last month. "She's always able to solidify and excite a Republican base... actually when she shakes her boobies, she excites my base."

Rep. Harris to donate contributions linked to Cunningham

The Culture of Corruption goes round and round, round and round...

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4197295&nav=9qrx

MIAMI Florida Congresswoman Katherine Harris said she plans to donate to charity 51-thousand dollars in contributions linked to disgraced ex-Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. That means Kathrine Harris's campaign can afford 2 diet Pepsis and a pack of sugar-free gum.

Cunningham, a San Diego-area Republican, resigned Monday after pleading guilty in federal court to accepting at least two-point-four (m) million dollars in bribes for steering government contracts to two defense contractors.Federal records show that since 2002, owners and employees of two companies named in Cunningham's indictment _ M-Z-M and A-D-C-S _ have pumped the money into Harris' campaign.All that money will now go to charity. Spokeswoman Morgan Dobbs said Harris "doesn't want to be linked with (Cunningham) at all."

Harris' staff quick to quit

They leave for better jobs, Katherine Harris says, but turnover worries watchers

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20051128/NEWS/511280339

In just under three years, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris has had four chiefs of staff, four district directors and four press secretaries.

Harris has had to replace key people on her staff every nine months, a rate of staff turnover that far exceeds most of those in Congress.

On average, members of Congress hold onto their high-level staff for four to five years.

Turnover isn't limited to Harris' congressional office, either. As she prepares to run against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, Harris has been hampered by turnover on her campaign staff. Her campaign manager quit last week, after just a few months on the job and not long after she lost a pollster (HAHAHAHAHA!) and a campaign finance director earlier this year.

Coupled with bad poll numbers, her clown-like apperance and her struggles to raise money, political watchers say the staff turnover adds to the appearance that her operations are in disarray.

But Harris said most of the employees have left because they've gone on to better jobs. If anything, the turnover shows her staff members are in high demand after gaining experience in a "high-profile" office.

"They always get stolen away," Harris said.

She also said the Capitol Hill lifestyle -- long, unpredictable hours and bad pay -- make it hard for her to keep staff (which is a lie, people work in politics because they are driven... people don't quit jobs, they quit other people.)

But her turnover rate is so rare it prompted longtime GOP consultant Rick Wilson to describe it as "chewing through staff like an industrial wood chipper."

Harris' former staffers give her mixed reviews, saying she is personable and engaging, but also complaining that she micromanages them and that communication breakdowns in the office happened too often.

Harris failed to tell her congressional staff that she planned to run for U.S. Senate before she announced it to the media. Some staffers, including her now-former district director Kim Hutchens, called the newspaper to hear about her decision.

She's also not averse to making her employees redo their work, even after it has been sent out. In October, after a press spokesman released a statement answering questions about her fund-raising totals, Harris required him to send out a revised statement with minor wording changes.

Whatever the reason behind the turnover, political watchers say it's a real political problem for Harris. David E. Johnson, a GOP consultant based in Atlanta, said political foes will jump on the turnover as proof that Harris is erratic and a poor leader.

"It's a real sign of trouble," Johnson said.

Johnson said people will logically ask the question: If she can't manage her own staff, how can she manage the needs of the state?

"It's absolutely an issue and it is an embarrassing one," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

He said it's particularly a problem when she's trying to convince people that she's picking up support. He said the insiders see staff turnover like that, and it looks like people losing faith in a candidate's ability to win.

Several of Harris' former employees repeatedly turned down interview requests for this story.

On average, a chief of staff or district director -- key members of any congressional staff -- can be expected to last a little more than 4.5 years, according to a 2004 U.S. House Staff Employment Study. Press secretaries on average remain for only 2.7 years.

Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, who represents parts of Manatee County, has had two chiefs of staff, two press secretaries and two district directors since he was first elected to Congress in 1996.

Diane Pratt-Heavner, Davis' press secretary, said there's a continuity in Davis' office because he has been able to hold onto staff for as long as he has.

U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fort Pierce, who has been in Congress for 11 years, has had three chiefs of staff, five press secretaries and one change of district directors since he was elected in 1994. Foley represents most of Charlotte County.

The price of losing staff can often be lost expertise on key issues, as Harris found out this year.

In early 2004, Harris proposed legislation to crack down on felons who violate their probation when they commit other crimes. It was a bill that was drafted in response to Carlie Brucia's abduction and considered one of Harris' top priorities.

When the U.S. House passed a different bill this fall that aimed at cracking down on sex offenders, no one on Harris' staff could answer specific questions about Harris' original bill or the new legislation that passed the House. Instead, Harris' press secretary directed questions about whether probation violators were included in the revised bill to other congressional offices.

The legislative director, chief of staff and press secretary who had worked on the original bill for Harris were gone.

A look at the Congressional Record shows who worked for Harris and for how long.

Last November, Harris announced she had hired Christopher Battle to be her chief of staff after Ben McKay departed 18 months after starting the job. Battle, who had experience in the Department of Homeland Security, was expected to help Harris hone her grasp on national security issues.

Less than five months later, Battle was gone, saying he wanted to return to his home state of Arkansas. Harris said Battle's was clearly a personal decision to return to Arkansas. Four months later, Harris hired Fred Asbell for the post. He has been on the job for nearly four months.

Around the same time she hired Battle, Harris brought Garrison Courtney on board as press secretary. Courtney lasted nearly nine months. His replacement, David Kinkade, was hired in June and was gone by August. The position is now held by Kara Borie, who has been on the staff since mid-August.

Courtney said he couldn't comment on his departure because of his current job. Kinkade and Battle, who both now work in Arkansas, didn't return calls.

Borie, who has been Harris' press secretary for four months, said Harris can't force any of her former staff members to talk to the media, but if staffers did speak they would say they liked working for Harris.

"They just don't want to be in the newspaper," Borie said.

Two other former chiefs of staff, Dan Berger and McKay, both lobbyists in Washington, were among those who didn't return calls. While congressional records list Berger as a former chief of staff, Harris said he was really a fill-in until McKay finished coursework at Harvard University, so he shouldn't be included in the rate of turnover.

Both Berger and McKay have long tenures with Harris, dating back to the mid-1990s when she was in the Florida Senate.

Harris said many of the employees she brought to Congress with her in 2003 left for better opportunities.

She points to Sally Tibbetts, who was Harris' district director for less than a year. Tibbetts went to work for Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., when he was elected to the Senate last year. Harris said working for a senator is clearly a step up.

Tibbetts refused to comment, saying she's not allowed to talk to the press because of her position with Martinez.

Harris' short campaign for the Senate has already had turnover as well.

Jim Dornan, Harris' campaign manager, announced on Nov. 15 that he was resigning that post, citing a difference of opinion on how Harris should use her time. Dornan is still a special adviser to Harris.

"Congresswoman Harris feels that in this period of national crisis, her first obligation is to her constituents in the 13th District, to fully fulfill her term, and to serve them every day in Congress. I felt it was imperative that Katherine devote more time and energy to her campaign," Dornan said in a statement released to the media last week.

Harris said the media is reading too much into Dornan's departure. She said he is still an adviser and her campaign is going very well.

Dornan's departure comes not long after Michele Querry, a former finance director for Harris, left. Querry denied published reports that she left Harris because she was unhappy with how she was treated. She said she left for professional reasons and left on good terms after working on Harris' campaigns for nearly a year.

Campaign manager of U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris leaves

TALLAHASSEE -- Faced with underwhelming fundraising and poor poll numbers, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris has switched campaign managers in her effort to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

Jim Dornan left the campaign just three months after it was launched with a listening tour around Florida. The decision was made public Tuesday, the same day a Quinnipiac University poll showed Harris trailing Nelson by 24 percentage points.

"It was never my intention to stay doing the day-to-day stuff," Dornan said. "The day-to-day operations is basically the phase that they're in right now. We have a good team in place and I think they're poised to move forward very quickly."

Jamie Miller, a political consultant and the Republican Party of Florida's former executive director of party development, was named acting campaign manager. Dornan will continue to serve as an adviser to the campaign.

"We greatly appreciate Jim's efforts as campaign manager. He has created a great team with excellent strategies and tactics to follow a roadmap for victory," Harris said in a prepared statement. "Jim's talents and interests in my campaign were principally of a consulting nature and he will continue in that role--Just like Karl Rove but less Evil, more self-interested."

Harris raised just under $500,000 during her first fundraising quarter, compared to just more than $1.9 million raised by Nelson. She has also had to deal with repeated reports that GOP leaders in Washington would rather see a different candidate in the race.

Dornan, however, continued to speak positively about the campaign, saying Harris has good people around her to help with fundraising and building a grassroots organization.

"Campaigns are an ever-changing animal. They're never perfect. I like to refer to them as organized chaos," Dornan said. "Changes take place until a campaign finds its rhythm. I don't look at this as a disruption or a distraction; I look at this is a natural evolution."

The change, though, could be a sign of trouble, said Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor.

"When campaigns are going well, there's usually few changes. You want to keep things as they are because you're happy with the results," he said.

"Even with the best spin, it's a sign that things are not going as well as they hope.

Harris still lagging in race, poll finds

Katherine Harris continues to struggle for traction in the race for U.S. Senate, while the governor's race remains a dead heat for Republicans.

TALLAHASSEE - Republican U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, who has faltered at fundraising and endured furtive attempts by GOP leaders to recruit a candidate to replace her in the race for the U.S. Senate, remains substantially behind her Democratic opponent, according to a new independent poll.

The Quinnipiac University survey shows U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the incumbent Democrat, would easily sail into a second term with 55 percent of the vote, compared to just 31 percent for Harris, if the election were held today.

In the governor's race to replace Gov. Jeb Bush, who is barred by term limits from running again, the poll shows that state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher leads Attorney General Charlie Crist slightly, 38-36 -- a statistical tie.

But for the first time, Democrat U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa appears to have gained ground and is in a dead heat with both Crist and Gallagher if the general election were held today. However, Democratic primary voters are still largely undecided, with 25 percent backing Davis and 15 percent supporting state Sen. Rod Smith of Gainesville.

Forum adds to Medicare muddle

Hundreds of seniors seek answers about the new drug program, but Rep. Katherine Harris can't provide specifics -- And there weren't even any hanging chads.

By Jeremy Wallace & Katherine Harris for Senate Blog

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20051108/NEWS/511080332/1060

SARASOTA -- More than 400 exasperated residents packed a town hall meeting Monday looking for help in figuring out how to enroll in the new Medicare prescription drug program.

What they got instead was a mound of confusion and a free magnifying glass to help them read the fine print on a spreadsheet of 43 different plans.

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Longboat Key, wasn't expecting such a large turnout to her advertised meeting about the new Medicare plan. Harris' staff scrambled to set up more chairs and provide more handouts.

Medicare recipients can start signing up next week for the new prescription drug benefit Congress approved two years ago. The new benefits are supposed to kick in starting Jan. 1. But with more than 40 plans from 18 insurance providers to choose from, many seniors coming out of the meeting Monday said they are as confused as ever about their options and may not sign up at all.

It was clear even Harris, who voted on the Medicare package, couldn't sort through all the options. She offered general advice to the seniors, but couldn't offer specific answers many were seeking to help them determine which of the 43 plans best suited their needs.

Helen Drawe of Nokomis wasn't impressed with the new program after she emerged from the hour-long forum. Her assessment: "Clear as mud."

"Why did they make it so complicated?" asked Sarasota resident Pacy Weinstein, who was also at the forum.

Harris said the frustration and confusion are easy to see, but insists that once the program gets under way, senior citizens will see real savings.

Harris, who sponsored Monday's forum, said competition among all the drug plan providers will drive costs down. Still, even she admitted the program is so complicated Congress will likely have to get involved and find ways to make it easier to understand.

"This is a first step," Harris said, "to placate seniors' concerns with a program too confusing for them to really benifit"

Medicare is a government health care program created in 1965 for people 65 and older and the disabled. Under the new voluntary prescription drug program, the government will pay part of the drug costs for people who enroll. Participants will pay the rest through premiums, co-payments and deductibles.

The confusion for many of those who want to enroll starts with the private insurance companies, who have different premiums, different deductibles and different lists of covered drugs.

Individual plans will vary, but Medicare's standard drug benefit will pay an average of 75 percent of drug costs after a $250 deductible, up to a cap of $2,250 in an individual's costs. There is no coverage above the cap until out-of-pocket expenses hit $3,600. After that, Medicare will pay 95 percent of the cost.

......

Harris was key to passing the confusing program in 2003. The Medicare Modernization Act, which included the drug program, passed the U.S. House by one vote. Harris said she never thought the program was perfect, but it was the only choice for members of Congress to vote on. Voting no, she has argued, would have meant no prescription drug program at all.

That vote is likely to be a key issue in 2006, when Harris is expected to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat.

Nelson voted against the prescription drug bill in 2003, insisting Congress could have drafted a less complicated and better program.

Two weeks ago, Nelson introduced a new bill in Congress calling for extending the sign-up period for the drug program by six months to give seniors more time to figure out their options. The sign-up period now runs from Nov. 15 to May 15, 2006.

Harris said that in the next six months, she'll set up more town hall meetings throughout the five-county district she represents.

Offshore drilling compromise may have election ramifications

BILL KACZOR
Associated Press
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/
bradenton/news/local/13097930.htm

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Most Florida politicians still say they're opposed to offshore drilling, but they are divided on proposed federal legislation that would allow oil and natural gas rigs 125 miles from the state's beaches.

It's an issue that could have ramifications at the ballot box.

Democrats and environmentalists have been quick to oppose the 125-mile compromise. It has been endorsed by some Florida Republicans, including Gov. Jeb Bush. Other Republicans are opposed or are still struggling with the issue.

"Potentially, it could be quite dangerous for some Florida Republicans" to support the compromise, said University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett. "Every study that I've seen shows that the majority of Floridians don't like the idea of drilling off our coast."

Protecting Florida's beaches and the tourism they support from potential drilling pollution is an issue that crosses party lines, said Jewett, an independent.

"Independents don't like it, Republicans don't like it and Democrats don't like it," he said.

Darryl Paulson, a University of South Florida professor of government with Republican leanings, said environmental issues seldom, if ever, have been decisive in Florida. But offshore drilling has a higher profile and is unique because it also affects tourism, Florida's leading industry.

Jewett said even if opponents lose they still can claim they were "on the side of the angels."

Bush, who is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election, has touted the compromise as a way to give Florida long-term protection against drilling by putting the 125-mile buffer into federal law even if that means allowing it much closer in many cases than permitted by presidential and congressional moratoriums.

Those moratoriums are scheduled to expire in 2007 and 2012. Bush is worried they won't be renewed because of growing national sentiment for more domestic energy production in reaction to fuel shortages and price increases after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"What you are going to see is symbolic politics and political posturing," Paulson said. "Every time the gas prices go up I think there's going to be more pressure on Congress to find American sources of oil and gas."

The offshore compromise is part of a wider energy measure that also would open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, or ANWR, to drilling.

The House Budget Committee last week added the energy legislation offered House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., to a budget reconciliation bill that the full chamber is due to take up possibly as early as this week.

The Senate is not considering an offshore proposal, so a conference committee would decide whether to keep the compromise, if approved by the House, in the final version of the bill.

The offshore proposal also would permit energy companies to trade existing leases within 125 miles of Florida's beaches for ones farther out and extend the buffer to areas not covered by the moratoriums. However, the 125-mile limit is getting most of the attention.

Opponents such as U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa and state Sen. Rod Smith of Gainesville, both running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, argue drilling off Florida will do little or nothing to reduce fuel prices. They prefer to renew the more restrictive moratoriums.

"We do that by uniting as Floridians and standing up to protect our beaches as a treasure to the state and the nation," Davis said, but he acknowledged the job will be tougher because that unity has been fractured by the compromise.

Smith said Congress should promote alternative energy sources and encourage conservation instead of risking Florida's beaches.

"It's a scheme that could backfire," he said. "It is a Band-Aid on serious problem."

Bush has accused environmental groups that criticized the compromise of playing "partisan politics," yet its opponents include such Florida Republicans as U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez and Attorney General Charlie Crist, a candidate for governor.

"I'm opposed to offshore oil drilling," Crist said in a telephone interview. "That looks like offshore oil drilling. ... I'm a Gulf Coast guy and I'm against it."

Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, Crist's opponent for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, is leaning the governor's way, said Gallagher spokesman Albert Martinez.

"If push comes to shove and the only way to secure our coastline from future oil drilling is the governor's proposal, then he would not be opposed to that," Martinez said. "He's not advocating one or the other."

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is another outspoken opponent of the Pombo measure. Nelson is being challenged for re-election next year by U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Sarasota.

Harris has not taken a public position on the proposal, but her spokeswoman, Kara Borie, said she is trying to get it removed from the massive budget bill because she believes the issue should be decided on its own merits. -- Which is an open lie, See HERE

Republican U.S. Reps. Connie Mack, IV, of Fort Myers and Mark Foley of West Palm Beach also have been outspoken opponents of the compromise. It's supporters include Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, whose Panhandle district is closest to the most likely drilling sites, Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, Michael Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, and John Mica, R-Winter Park, a longtime drilling supporter.

Those who are undecided will soon have to make a choice with the approaching House vote.

"Ironically, in most congressional races probably the majority of Republicans that might vote for this are reasonably safe," Central Florida's Jewett said.

The issue is one of few on which Mel Martinez has disagreed with Bush.

"He's more free to advocate a more radical position than somebody like Martinez," South Florida's Paulson said. He said Martinez is "a first-term senator who's already made a number of missteps and probably doesn't want to make another."

Nelson's fund raising overwhelms Harris'

Thursday, November 03, 2005

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/
nation/epaper/2005/11/03/a5a_harris_1103.html

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Katherine Harris each spent more than $400,000 during the third quarter gearing up for next year's U.S. Senate race in Florida.

But there was a big difference in their financial bottom lines: Harris spent money almost as fast as she raised it; Nelson socked away about $3 for every dollar he spent. (Typical Republican... Spend like there's no tomorrow... or election... because it's rigged!)

Harris, R-Sarasota, raised just under $500,000 and spent more than $437,000. Nelson, a Democrat from Brevard County, raised more than $1.9 million and spent $451,000.

The result was that Nelson's campaign war chest grew by more than $1.4 million while Harris' grew by about $63,000.

At the end of September, Nelson had more than $6.5 million in cash on hand; Harris had nearly $470,000.

Harris entered the campaign Aug. 9 with a reputation as a formidable campaigner, a Purge Princess and a national magnet for Republican contributions, but her Senate bid has gotten off to a slow fund-raising start.

"August is an awful month to raise money in an off (non-election) year, and then there was (Hurricane) Katrina and that made it awkward," said Jennifer Duffy, editor of the Cook Political Report.

But even with those problems, Harris' fund raising "is not what they had hoped," Duffy said. "For a sitting member of Congress running for the Senate, she is not raising at the level one would expect."

For example, in Minnesota, Rep. Mark Kennedy, a Republican, raised more than $800,000 last quarter and has about $1.5 million in cash on hand in his race against Sen. Mark Dayton, a Democrat. In Vermont, Rep. Bernie Sanders, an independent, raised more than $600,000 and has $1.2 million in cash on hand in his bid to succeed retiring Sen. Jim Jeffords, an independent who sides with Democrats on procedural issues.

Florida's Senate race is expected to be one of the most expensive in the country with estimates topping $20 million for each candidate.

"For a race that is going to cost $20 million... she is not on pace to do that," Duffy said.

So far in this election cycle — which for Nelson began right after he was elected in 2000— he has raised more than $8.1 million.

Harris, who was first elected to the House in 2002, has raised more than $1.3 million for the election cycle that began right after her reelection last year. Most of Harris' money was raised before she declared her Senate candidacy.

Duffy said Harris' fund-raising efforts may be suffering from the lukewarm response the Republican National Senate Committee has given her candidacy. The committee, which raises and spends money for GOP Senate candidates, has made it clear that it would welcome another candidate to take on Nelson.

Harris' campaign does not acknowledge any concern about her spending.

"Our campaign is less than three months old. During these past three months we have incurred the typical start-up expenses for a campaign of this magnitude," Morgan Dobbs, Harris' deputy press secretary, wrote in an e-mailed response to a question.

"We began with a rollout and 'listening tour' that covered 13 cities around Florida. We recently opened our main headquarters in Tampa, where we bought office equipment and are in the processes of setting up a brand new office. We also have been hiring quality staff members in order to effectively run a winning campaign," Dobbs wrote.

Katherine Harris Drunk

Was Katherine Harris Drunk When She Appeared On Hannity & Colmes?

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/
10/22/was_katherine_harris_drunk_when_
she_appeared_on_hannity_colmes.php

The last time we saw Katherine Harris on Hannity & Colmes, she stood sideways to the camera and shook her boobies throughout the whole interview. Last night, she stood frontwise and center but she kept stumbling over her words and could not provide a coherent explanation of Governor Bush's state of emergency.

Harris, who has always seemed to swoon at the very thought of Jeb Bush, told Sean Hannity that hurricane preparations are going "very well" in Florida and that "the governor has created a culture of preparedness."

Comment: Whatever that means.

Harris continued in a similarly incoherent vein. "The kind of leadership that's coming out of Tallahassee has really reflected within the citizens' actions... We have had a lot of practice and (fumbling) perfect practice makes perfect."

Alan Colmes asked what it meant for Governor Bush to have declared a state of emergency. Associated Press described the move as giving officials "the ability to activate the National Guard and broad authority over evacuation plans, the distribution of recovery supplies and other items." The New Jersey Office Of Emergency Management (different state but similar procedures) says the declaration "authorizes the Governor to speed State agency assistance to communities in need. It enables him to make resources immediately available to rescue, evacuate, shelter, provide essential commodities (i.e., heating fuel, food, etc.) and quell disturbances in affected localities. It may also position the State to seek federal assistance when the scope of the event exceeds the State's resources."

Harris said "Well, what it means is that whenever the local county officials have the opportunity to declare local states of emergency as well so they can seek sites for temporary housing, if that's necessary. So that they can go ahead and declare a local state of emergency and ask for evacuations in some of the lower lying areas and also so that we can make sure that we have the proper water and food ready and waiting at the shelters."

Say what?

Harris' campaign funds lower than her estimates

The Republican has $469,833 in the bank while opponent Sen. Bill Nelson has $6.5 million.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20051020/NEWS/510200326

Katherine Harris’ fund-raising woes early in her campaign for U.S. Senate have been even worse than she anticipated.

Campaign finance reports made public on Wednesday show Harris, a Republican, raised $498,412 over the past three months on the campaign trail — well short of the “close to a million” prediction Harris made last week.

Sen. Bill Nelson, the Democrat who Harris is hoping to beat next year, raised $1.9 million during the same time period, campaign disclosure reports show.

He now has more than $6.5 million in the bank for his re-election bid. Harris has $469,833.

In addition, the financial reports show Harris, a congresswoman who lives on Longboat Key, uncharacteristically has been slow to raise money from political action committees — a source of funding that has accounted for up to 20 percent of her donations in past elections.

Harris raised $25,000 from PACs between July 1 and Sept. 30, the new campaign disclosure statements show.

The only time she raised less was during the first three months of 2003, after she had just won her first two-year term in Congress.

Harris raised $724,356 from PACs for her 2004 campaign and $428,241 from PACs for her 2002 campaign, and raised a total of more than $3 million each time.

Harris said she’s not struggling financially. She said the campaign is just getting started.

“We’ll be just fine,” Harris said on Monday, as she hopped into a car in Tampa, on her way to a fund-raiser in Jacksonville.

Political watchers have a different take — they say the lack of PAC money may be indicative of a bigger problem.

“It tells us that most PACs realize her chances of winning are not very good,” said Larry Sabato, director for the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

PACs generally support incumbents and front-runners, hoping to buy influence when key votes come up in Congress.

Harris’s inability to pick up PAC money isn’t entirely surprising to Larry Noble, executive director for the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit group that tracks money in politics. Noble said PACs commit to incumbents and don’t like to pick sides in potential primaries.

Harris doesn’t have a major primary opponent, but constant talk during the summer that national Republicans were seeking alternative candidates may have dissuaded some PACs from writing checks.

National Republicans publicly tried to recruit Florida House Speaker Allen Bense, R-Panama City, and former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough, R-Pensacola, to run against Harris. In August, both declined.

U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Jupiter, has more than $2 million in campaign funds and has not ruled out a run against Harris in the primary election.

Foley has raised $78,110 from PACS over the past three months, three times as much as Harris.

Harris has blamed some of her fund-raising problems on hurricane’s Katrina and Rita -- those "damn poor black people eroding her Republican dollars."

Harris said she suspended fund-raising for two weeks after Katrina hit in September, out of respect for victims. Harris was also on vacation during the week following Hurricane Katrina, preventing her from raising money.

Campaign finance reports show that Harris not only saw a drop off in fund-raising, but lost $10,000 that had previously been committed to her campaign before she announced her bid for the U.S. Senate. Two $5,000 checks from the United Parcel Service PAC bounced when Harris’ campaign team tried to cash them in July.

A spokesman for the UPS PAC said he did not know why the checks bounced.

Dave Bulger, with UPS PAC, said he expected new checks to be cut soon.

What can Brown do for your pro-Oil drilling off the coast of Florida Republican Candidate?

Red Tide, Red State?

Researchers make their case for more funding

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20051017/OPINION/510170324/1030

Florida is, politically speaking, a "red state," having voted Republican in national elections. But at least one Republican member of Congress, ignoring the connection between Republican corporate welfare to agri-business mega farms that are a leading cause of runnoff encouraging red-tide blooms, Harris is also worried that Florida is becoming a red tide state.

"When I come home on weekends, everyone talks to me about it," U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris said Tuesday during a visit to Mote Marine Laboratory, "And I'm not talking about my clown makeup." The Republican from Longboat Key was on a "listening and learning" mission at the Sarasota lab, where she heard scientists say that a larger, steadier stream of money is needed to effectively study and, perhaps, combat red tide.

Red tide -- and its effects and potential causes of large, long outbreaks -- does warrant more and better research. Red tide kills fish and marine mammals, irritates the respiratory systems of humans and thins the numbers willing to shop in commercial areas close to beaches, reserve hotel rooms for a vacation, eat in waterfront restaurants or charter fishing boats.

Harris said she will introduce a resolution in the House of Representatives that outlines the harm caused by red tide, a toxic algal bloom that affects the Gulf of Mexico and, in one form or another, many coastal areas of the eastern United States. Harris said her resolution will plead for red-tide research and funding.

Raising revenue and awareness

Getting the word out about red tide to a broader audience is a necessary first step. The seriousness and scope of the problem should be acknowledged and explained so Congress, Florida's Legislature and other potential sources of scientific funding will allocate money.

News about Florida red tide has generally stayed in Florida. Tourism officials certainly haven't advertised the presence of red tide. Most years, red tide has come and gone in Southwest Florida during a few months, mostly in late summer.

But public awareness has increased in 2005. That's because a large red-tide bloom has bedeviled Southwest Florida all year, drifting in patches between Pinellas County and Naples.

National attention

Last Saturday's national edition of The New York Times spread the news far and wide with a long story headlined "Persistent Red Tide Takes Toll on Florida Sea Life and Tourism." After reading that story, it's a safe bet some people scrapped any plans they had of vacationing here.

It's good that the red-tide story is finally getting out, however. Gulf fish and marine mammals need help, as do the tourism and fishing industries. That help should come in the form of ample federal and state funding for research into red tide. Also in need of more study: Do human activities and pollution exacerbate red tide?

The National Institute of Environmental Health recently awarded Mote a $435,000 grant to study red tide's effects on human health. Also, the Florida Legislature has given the lab $1 million a year the past two years. Work is funded and under way in several universities, too, but the level of funding isn't nearly enough, scientists say.

Every member of Florida's delegation in Washington should join Harris in trying to obtain more red-tide funding. A parallel effort is needed in Tallahassee -- and local governments need to play a greater role.

Of course, neither Congress nor Florida's Legislature can afford to send blank checks to scientists. The legislative and scientific communities should find some way to prioritize requests for research funding.

Meanwhile, red tide must be studied in context of other problems in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and other seas. Serious problems are pointed out in reports released in the past 18 months by the Pew Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.

Red tide is but one signal telling us we must learn more about our oceans.

Florida GOP won't return money tied to DeLay fundraising

Florida GOP won't return money tied to DeLay fundraising

Eleven House Republicans from Florida who received cash from Tom DeLay's PAC said they will keep it.

BY FRANK DAVIES

Florida Republicans in the U.S. House steadfastly support Tom DeLay, their indicted leader, and have decided not to return substantial contributions they received from DeLay's political action committee.

While at least three Republicans from other states have returned such contributions or donated the money to hurricane relief, Reps. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale, who received $30,000, Katherine Harris of Sarasota ($20,000) and nine other Florida Republicans say there is no reason to do that.

''Last time I checked, you're innocent until proven guilty,'' said Harris, who is running for the U.S. Senate. She labeled several calls to return money from DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC) as ``nothing but political grandstanding.''

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart of Miami, who received $10,000 from ARMPAC, said he would return the money only if DeLay is convicted. And like many other Republicans, he blamed Delay's legal troubles on an ''out-of-control prosecutor,'' Ronnie Earle, who he said craves publicity and is out to get DeLay.

''He's the Paris Hilton of prosecutors -- and that's probably an insult to Paris Hilton,'' Díaz-Balart said.

DONATIONS TO DELAY

Díaz-Balart, Shaw and five other Florida Republicans also contributed to DeLay's legal defense fund.

Harris, Shaw and several other state Republicans said they had no problem with Delay continuing to play a prominent role as a House leader, even though he stepped down as majority leader when he was indicted Sept. 28 in Texas.

DeLay faces charges of conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and, in a second indictment, money laundering.

The League of Conservation Voters urged Republicans to return ARMPAC money, focusing on Shaw, Harris and others who received large contributions and voted for what the group called an antienvironmental energy bill favored by DeLay.

''While this latest ethical cloud hangs over Congressman DeLay, the decent thing for them to do is return the money until this issue is resolved,'' said Deb Callahan, president of the League.

Three House Republicans are returning ARMPAC contributions: Jeb Bradley of New Hampshire ($15,000), Heather Wilson of New Mexico ($10,000) and Kenny Hulshof of Missouri, who said he would donate the $14,500 received from ARMPAC to Hurricane Katrina relief.

''The congresswoman just thought it was the right thing to do -- it was a black and white thing,'' said Jane Altweis, a spokesperson for Wilson.

And not all Republicans are comfortable with the active role DeLay continues to play in the House even though he officially stepped aside, at least temporarily, for Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

OTHERS NERVOUS

Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., told The Hill newspaper that there's ''nervousness and anxiety'' among Republicans about the arrangement, and noted that former Republican leaders Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston, and Democrat Jim Wright stepped aside for the good of their parties when ethical questions arose.

James Thurber, who directs the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, said that as the 2006 congressional election gets closer, ``DeLay could be radioactive.''

''There's a danger in getting too close to DeLay and DeLay's money, but it's too early to know how much danger there is,'' he said.

Thurber said that DeLay had established ''a very effective money machine,'' attracting a steady flow of corporate and lobbyists' donations and then dispensing money to House candidates in competitive races.

Both parties do that through leadership political action committees, but ARMPAC set the standard, dispensing $4.2 million since 1994 to GOP candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks contributions.

Shaw and other Republicans point out that ARMPAC is not part of the two indictments against DeLay, which focus on another political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority. And they complain that Democrats and MoveOn.org, a liberal activist group urging members to pressure Republicans on the issue, are just playing politics.

''These groups are trying to link [the indictments] to the other PAC, and they're not related,'' said Shaw, who praised Delay's leadership.

Rep. Tom Feeney, a Republican from Central Florida, said ``the call to return the money is simply an organized effort by partisan advocacy groups hoping to maximize the impact of a politically driven attack.''

Díaz-Balart noted that MoveOn.org has received financial support from a ''convicted felon,'' George Soros, convicted of insider trading in France.

Harris fails to hit $1 million mark, Nelson raises $2 million

Harris fails to hit $1 million mark, Nelson raises $2 million

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/
business/national/12895189.htm

BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris failed to hit the million dollar mark in her U.S. Senate campaign during the fundraising quarter that ended in September, while incumbent Bill Nelson exceeded $2 million.

Harris, though, said she was not concerned about her first quarter in the race, saying she was concentrating on building her finance team and grass roots organization.

"It would have been nice to have raised more, but that wasn't at all our focus this quarter," said Harris. The campaign doesn't have a final figure for the quarter yet, but it won't hit $1 million.

Harris also said she suspended fundraising at Gov. Jeb Bush's request after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and Mississippi, and a Mississippi company she uses for direct mail contribution requests was shut down by the storm. Several events are being rescheduled for this quarter. (Excuses anyone?)

"We have over $2 million in commitments (IOUs?) and we have collected over half of that already" this quarter, she said, adding that by the November 2006 election, "We will be at or over $20 million."

The failure to raise an eye-popping amount of money for a seat Republicans think is winnable also may be blamed in part on White House and other GOP efforts to recruit another candidate into the race.

"You have this uncertainty. People will not contribute money in times of uncertainty," said Darryl Paulson, a University of South Florida political science professor.

Carol Weissert, a Florida State University professor, agreed that questions about GOP support for Harris may have caused hesitancy among donors, but said it's too early to tell whether Harris will have problems.

"If underachieving is apparent in the next quarter, that will be much better indication," she said.

Nelson now has $6.5 million in the bank, said Chad Clanton, Nelson's campaign manager .

"It shows the broad support that Sen. Nelson is receiving across the state, but we're taking nothing for granted and are gearing up for a tough, hard fought race," Clanton said. "Whether it's Katherine Harris or someone else, we expect a wholly negative campaign from the other side and we're going to be prepared to knock it down."

Candidates usually try to have a big showing in their first campaign finance report, the document submitted quarterly to show who gave candidates money, how much was given and how it's spent. A large report gives an indication of support for a campaign.

In the Republican primary for governor, for example, Attorney General Charlie Crist reported $3.8 million raised during his first quarter and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher raised $3.1 million. Those figures dropped in the second quarter of fundraising to $1.5 million and $1.4 million respectively.

Compared to the GOP's gubernatorial candidates, Harris' first quarter will be closer to the $576,000 state Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon, raised for his chief financial officer campaign, or the $465,000 little known state Rep. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, raised in the first quarter of his attorney general campaign.

"It is important to raise a lot of money early when you're a challenger," said Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor. "It sends a signal that you're a serious candidate and ... it sends a signal to other potential donors that they should give money to you."

Bennett laments Harris attacks

STEPHEN MAJORS & Elect Harris Blog Staff
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton
/news/local/12849392.htm

MANATEE - Three congressional candidates, a state senator and talk of U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris took center stage at a meeting Friday of the Women of Manatee County Republican Club.

While the three congressional candidates touted their strengths and displayed their senses of humor, Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, the event's main speaker, criticized top Republican figures like Gov. Jeb Bush and President Bush for not backing the woman the candidates seek to replace.

"I'm sorry, what the Republican Party is doing to Katherine Harris borders on treason," Bennett said.

Bennett was referring to the lukewarm response Harris, R-Sarasota, has received from the party since she announced her run for the U.S. Senate in June. Leaders in Washington have actively tried to recruit other Republican candidates, like Florida House Speaker Allan Bense and talk-show host Joe Scarborough, to face Harris in the primary.

"That's not how we repay loyalty in the Republican Party," Bennett continued, "Look at all the kickbacks we are giving Big Oil, that's the GOP I know and love."

He invoked former President Ronald Reagan's famous "11th commandment," which says a Republican should never attack another Republican, "like how we must rally behind Tom DeLay, even though he is an outright criminal."

After the meeting, Bennett said his remarks about Harris weren't planned in advance, but he said he thought they should be made.

Bennett, a self-described maverick, said loyalty is very important to him.

Loyalty led him to support Sarasota banker Tramm Hudson in the race for the 13th Congressional District over fellow state legislator Nancy Detert and Sarasota businessman Vern Buchanan.

Bennett, listed as a co-chairman for Hudson's campaign, downplayed his role and said his support stems from having known Hudson for more than 20 years.

Bennett also discussed the upcoming legislative session - a session he said will be about tough choices because the windfall of money the state took in after four hurricanes last year is unlikely to be available this year.

Bennett said taming the growing Medicaid budget, finding solutions for affordable housing, perfecting hurricane response and devoting more research to combating red tide - which he called "a serious economic problem" - will be the most pressing topics of the session.

Buchanan spoke about the importance of tort reform and trumpeted his support from Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells; state Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton; Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist; U.S. Rep. Mark Foley; and U.S. Sen. Mel "Drill for Oil off the cost of Florida" Martinez. He also said his campaign had raised almost $600,000 in its first quarter, even without Tom DeLay's help.

Detert, R-Venice, stressed that she had legislative experience while Hudson and Buchanan did not. She said one of her accomplishments was playing a fundamental role in bringing the Scripps Research Institute to Palm Beach County.

"It's great to have an opinion, but it's better to have experience," Detert said as she ended her remarks.

Hudson joked that he forgot to include his new family dog in his campaign brochure photo, as Buchanan did, but said his son had chosen the name "Bennett."

A Harris campaign worker asked the club for any help its members could provide as the congresswoman tries to unseat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson next November, because shes going to need all the help she can get.

Gov. Bush Joins Rep. Katherine Harris On Florida Varsity Flip-Flop Team

The Flip-Flops On Offshore Oil Drilling Keep Coming

WASHINGTON – The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) today announced that Gov. Jeb Bush has joined Rep. Katherine Harris on the Florida Varsity Flip-Flop Squad with his sudden reversal on coastal drilling. Now a supporter of drilling rigs off Florida beaches, Gov. Bush has in the past said “there will be no drilling in the Lease Sale 181 Area off the coast of Florida under my watch.

("Gov. Bush reverses stance, now supports oil drilling rigs in eastern Gulf of Mexico," Orlando Sentinel, 10/5/05).

With an possible vote in the House on new energy legislation in the coming weeks, LCV also calls on Rep. Harris to clarify her own inconsistent position on drilling for oil off the Sunshine State coast. This past April, Rep. Harris voted for an energy bill that could have paved the way for drilling off Florida’s coast by weakening an important safeguard against new drilling projects, the Coastal Zone Management Act. Then, in a political makeover after deciding to seek higher office, she introduced a largely symbolic bill to ban drilling off Florida’s coasts and voted against the final energy bill.

Most recently Rep. Harris contradicted herself when her spokesperson said that "the congresswoman's position is firm [against drilling]." In the next paragraph of the same news story, Rep. Harris left open the door to allowing oil drilling just over 100 miles from Florida’s coastlines, when she said she was "willing to listen" to arguments by drilling proponents (“Florida could bow to drilling," Orlando Sentinel, 9/19/05).

"With today’s comments, Gov. Bush joins Rep. Katherine Harris on the varsity flip-flop team,” said LCV Florida Campaign Manager Shirin Bidel-Niyat. "As the debate about a new energy bill moves forward in Congress in the coming weeks, the question for Rep. Harris is: will you side with Florida families who want to protect the state’s coasts or with the oil industry and Gov. Bush who would rather erect drilling rigs?”

Harris's fundraising lagging in Senate race

By Peter Savodnik
and The Katherine Harris for Senate Blog Editors

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/
News/Campaign/100405.html

Hurricane Katrina, which ripped through the Gulf Coast early last month, is taking a toll on Rep. Katherine Harris’s (R-Fla.) fundraising effort in her bid for a Senate seat, Campaign Manager Jim Dornan said yesterday.

Dornan stressed that the campaign’s fundraising effort is still “going well” but acknowledged that “Katrina did deal us a couple setbacks.”

He added that the campaign has opened its headquarters in Tampa and has hired more staff, including Deputy Campaign Director Jamie Miller, formerly of the Florida Republican Party.

A fundraising letter e-mailed last week from Harris to her supporters expressed the difficult balance the campaign faced in respecting potential voters’ likely focus on poor black hurricane victims while continuing to solicit donations for her radical right-wing campaign.

“Out of respect and understanding of the Gulf Coast victims, we suspended fundraising for a few weeks,” Harris wrote in the e-mail. “My campaign is realistic about our filing report, but your last-minute help would be extremely appreciated, besides, all those poor people are filthy Democrats, that why our president didn't want to help them in the first place.”

Echoing Dornan, campaign consultant Ed Rollins said that “a lot of things have happened in the outside environment” but voiced confidence in what he called Harris’s “first-rate team.”

White House and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) officials have spent the past several months trying to dissuade Harris from entering the race. Asked if these officials have warmed to a Harris candidacy, Rollins said simply: “She will be the nominee.”

A Florida Republican source close to the campaign offered a bleaker picture, saying Harris’s third-quarter fundraising numbers “aren’t going to look very good, and that’s going to be a pretty big blow.”

The same source said Harris had raised $500,000 during the period from July 1 to Sept. 30, leaving her with $250,000 in the bank.

He also noted that her fundraising kickoff, which took place Sept. 19 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Tampa, reeled in only $30,000.

“If she can’t raise money, she can’t compete,” the Florida Republican said.

Referring to next year’s GOP primary, he added: “In a race like this, we can’t afford to wait for an August coronation and then try to rehabilitate her in that tight window of time.”

Dornan disputed those figures but said he couldn’t provide the campaign’s numbers because the staff is still calculating Harris’s intake for her third-quarter Federal Election Commission report, due Oct. 15.

A Republican aide on Capitol Hill said that Harris’s fundraising should be robust in the early stages of the campaign given “all the low-hanging fruit.”

The aide said that many candidates say the hurricane hurt their fundraising.

But that has not been the case for everyone. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) is expected to have raised more money in the third quarter than he did in the previous one. Foley has long hinted he may enter the Senate race, but his staff had little to say about it yesterday.

“Katherine Harris is the only candidate in the race right now,” said Foley spokesman Jason Kello.

Dornan also voiced confidence in Harris’s poll numbers, which show the second-term congresswoman hovering in the high 30s and low 40s and put Nelson at just below the 50-percent mark.

Sen. Bill Nelson’s (R-Fla.) pollster, David Beattie, was unavailable for comment.

The senator finished the second quarter of the year with nearly $5 million in the bank, having raised nearly $2.2 million during the three-month period.

Republican Party officials remain uneasy with Harris, pointing out that while she easily wins the GOP primary in polls, she’s at least eight or nine points behind Nelson. Other potential contenders, such as Florida Speaker of the House Alan Bense (R), have less name recognition and would have a tough time winning the primary with Harris in the race. Bense, however, ultimately may fare better against Nelson, independent and Republican surveys show.

If Harris’s fundraising figures turn out to be lackluster, the Florida Republican source said, pressure could grow for Bense to reconsider his earlier decision not to seek the Senate seat.

Nelson is one of the GOP’s top Senate targets. The senator won his first term in 2000 with just 51 percent of the vote, while President Bush easily won Florida in last year’s presidential race.

Dornan said party officials have not given any indication that they oppose a Harris candidacy, adding that Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) have praised Harris in the press.

DeLay has given Harris significant fund-raising help

Article published Sep 30, 2005
DeLay has given Harris significant fund-raising help
Herald Tribune

http://newscoast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20050930/NEWS/509300307

By Jeremy Wallace

When House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted this week, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris lost a key political ally.

Harris spoke at a 2002 fund-raiser put together by the Texas political group that’s central in the investigation into whether DeLay helped solicit illegal campaign donations. As keynote speaker, the Longboat Key Republican was there to talk about her role in the 2000 presidential elections.

Since then, another political action committee DeLay created has given Harris at least $15,000 in campaign money and DeLay has helped her raise thousands more by appearing at her fund-raisers.

DeLay came to Sarasota a few months after the Texas fund-raiser to help Harris raise money. During the Sarasota fund-raiser, DeLay called Democrats “morally bankrupt” and described Harris as a “national treasure.” Harris gave DeLay a Florida “cracker” whip, which he snapped for the crowd.

On Wednesday a grand jury in Travis County, Texas, indicted DeLay, the top Republican in the U.S. House, and two of his associates on charges of conspiring to violate state election laws in Texas. The other two men indicted, John Colyandro and James W. Ellis, have also helped Harris raise money for her campaigns.

DeLay denies doing anything wrong and has called Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle a “partisan fanatic.” Earle is a Democrat.

Wednesday’s indictments are the result of a three-year investigation of the Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee, known as TRMPAC. DeLay was an adviser for that group and helped make Harris the main attraction at the group’s Jan. 16, 2002, fund-raiser.

TRMPAC solicited political contributions from corporations during that fund-raiser, which Earle says is a violation of Texas law. A flier promoting Harris’ speech specifically welcomed corporate donations.

The same day she spoke for TRMPAC, Harris’ 2002 congressional campaign accepted $1,000 from Colyandro, TRMPAC’s executive director. Federal Election Commission records show she was the only member of Congress who received a donation from Colyandro.

Texas Republicans organized TRMPAC in late 2001 to help them win the majority of seats in the state Legislature. The group won the majority, and the opportunity to redraw congressional districts.

Harris, who was not named in the indictment, didn’t return calls seeking comment about whether Texas investigators have questioned her about TRMPAC or DeLay.

Harris campaign spokesman Adam Goodman said Harris has been a big draw at Republican fund-raisers across the nation. She was simply a guest speaker in 2002. There is nothing unusual about her helping out the group and he! r ties to DeLay aren’t unusual, he said.

Ellis, the executive director of Americans for a Republican Majority, a political action committee that DeLay created, was also indicted Wednesday. That PAC gave Harris $20,000 for her campaigns.

DeLay helped dozens of congressional candidates raise money over the last four years. ARMPAC donated $900,000 to 112 Republican candidates for Congress in 2004, including the $10,000 Harris received. Harris also received $10,000 from ARMPAC in 2002.

National Democrats are calling on the 13 Florida Republicans who received money from ARMPAC to return it.

“I think one’s ethics are always an issue in a political campaign,” said Dan McLaughlin, a campaign spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat.

Harris is running for Nelson’s Senate seat in the 2006 election.

U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw Jr., R-Fort Lauderdale, is the only Republican congressman from Florida to receive more money from ARMPAC than Harris. Shaw has taken more than $30,000 from the political action committee.

McLaughlin said voters should be allowed to question Harris about her role in raising money for TRMPAC, just as they should be allowed to question other donations.

Earlier this summer, Harris offered to refund more than $50,000 in donations associated with MZM Inc., a defense contractor headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The offer came just days after reports surfaced that MZM employees might have been pressured into making the contributions. Less than a week later, FBI agents raided that company’s offices and the home of U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., who has also campaigned for Harris.

In 1997, Riscorp, a Sarasota firm, was at the center of a federal investigation into illegal contributions given to Harris during her 1994 state Senate campaign. Harris, who collected nearly $30,000 from Riscorp, denied any direct knowledge of the illegal contributions at the time.

Harris campaign relies on time-tested strategies or "I am Not a Crook!"

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/12765169.htm

Harris campaign relies on time-tested strategies

By Bill Cotterell
CAPITAL CURMUDGEON

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris is running for the U.S. Senate in the style of Richard Nixon. And that's a compliment.

The man liberals loved to loath as "Tricky Dick" knew campaigning. A won-lost record of 7-2 is good in any league - and Nixon's lifetime political mark could have been 7-0, but for some cheating in Illinois in 1960.

Well, nostalgia isn't what it used to be. The Harris campaign against Sen. Bill Nelson has updated some time-tested tactics Republicans have used since Nixon's first congressional race in 1946.

First, you make the incumbent the issue. Then you say "liberal" as often as possible. Asked what time it is, you don't say "2:30" - you say, "Even my liberal opponent would agree it's 2:30."

Democrats do it, too, by calling people "right-wing extremists" who threaten our "rights." Maybe Americans don't agree that everything rises to the level of a "right," so Republicans win more often.

Take Harris' two latest fund-raising letters.

She downplays her role as secretary of state in 2000, when her certification of a 537-vote margin for George W. Bush gave him Florida's 25 electoral votes. But she does mention "my unwanted '15 minutes of fame.'"

"People always ask me how I managed to handle the recount crisis without losing my cool - or my integrity," Harris writes. "I credit my faith and my upbringing."

Shades of the 37th president, who never flinched from telling us of his own courage. Some White House aides used to joke that their job was to tell Nixon, "Mr. President, do the expedient, politically safe thing for short-term gain."

Nixon could then go on camera and say, "Many have urged me do the quick, easy popular thing - but I choose to make the tough decisions."

Harris recounts some of Nelson's votes in Congress, along with his ratings by some special interests. He got an 80-percent score last year from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action and a 67-percent rating from the American Civil Liberties Union, along with 100-percent marks from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the League of Conservation Voters.

Harris got a zero from all four groups. But she scored a 72 with the National Taxpayers Union and a 92 with the American Conservative Union - which, respectively, gave Nelson a 9 and a 4.

Harris writes of Nelson in one fund-raising letter: "He 'says' he is a moderate in Florida but in Washington he votes with Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer and John Kerry."

That's a triumvirate of bogeymen whose names can open the wallets of Republican donors. What Harris said is generally true, though.

Nelson, Kennedy, Schumer and Kerry all scored 100-percent with AFSCME, the government-employee union. But Schumer and Kennedy outscored Nelson with the ADA and ACLU while Kerry had low marks with the LCV and ADA (Actually Kerry has scored very well over his lifetime with the LCV.)

Kerry, incidentally, sent out a solicitation for Nelson on Wednesday. It opened with a reference to 2000, saying Harris wants to "use her role in disrupting the democratic process as a stepping stone to higher office."

Nelson, one of the most cautious and inoffensive politicians Florida has ever produced, is ahead in the polls. He won't give Purge Princess Harris much material for driving up his negatives, as she needs to do.

But linking his voting record to those of Kennedy, Kerry and Schumer recalls Nixon in 1950. Running for the Senate at the start of the Red Scare, he called Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas "the pink lady" and claimed she voted something like 90 percent of the time with New York socialist Vito Marcantonio in the House.

If you count motions to recess, approval of the daily journal, resolutions commending a Little League team or mourning the death of an ex-member, even quorum calls, that might be true. That's the trouble with getting your information about one candidate from the other candidate.

Harris also tosses out such raw, red meat as Nelson's votes against banning same-sex marriage and "partial-birth" abortion, his opposition to Bush tax cuts and his vote against the Medicare prescription-drug program.

There are conservative reasons for not amending the Constitution over gay marriage, or not adding to the deficit to buy overpriced, monopolized US Drug Company pills for old people or give tax cuts to the very rich. But it's fair game for attack ads.

Don't like the Nixon comparison? How about Connie Mack, then?

In 1988, he began Florida's Republican trend with a taunt at Democrat Buddy MacKay - "Hey, Buddy, you're a liberal!" Ocala doesn't send liberals to Congress, but the jibe stuck so hard that MacKay couldn't shake it 10 years later when Gov. Jeb Bush beat him.

So it's a word we're sure hear a lot in 2006.

---

Contact political editor Bill Cotterell at (850) 671-6545 or bcotterell@tallahassee.com.

Senator Katherine Harris. It's the last thing Florida needs.

But, the truth is, Harris and her backers are working overtime to drive Senator Bill Nelson out of office. So, we have two priorities in this Senate race - making sure a strong Democratic Senator gets re-elected - and making certain a Republican candidate doesn't use her role in disrupting the democratic process as a stepping stone to higher office.

You can make sure that never happens by providing immediate support to Senator Nelson. Whether it's stopping oil drilling off Florida's coast, preserving Social Security, or protecting our personal privacy from the intrusion of government, Bill Nelson is fighting for Florida. He has a long record of taking on powerful interests - from insurance companies to oil companies to the big banks, and he is a strong advocate for the protection of voters' rights in Florida and around the nation. He's a tough senator heading into a tough campaign and he needs your help now.

Make a contribution

It is now absolutely clear that the 2006 elections will represent a fundamental choice between those who want to stay the course President Bush has set - and those who want to move America forward in a more promising direction.

By acting now, you can provide essential momentum to Senator Nelson's campaign. But, you have to act before midnight Friday.

Make a contribution

Keeping America's Promise, the political action committee that I helped found, is pulling out all the stops for strong Democrats like Bill Nelson. Don't hesitate for a moment. With the deadline fast approaching, it's vitally important that you participate right now.

Group calls for election changes

Sarasota Herald
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20050926/COLUMNIST89/509260355

Nearly five years after the disputed 2000 presidential election, Katherine Harris' role in the controversy is still a key issue for election reform groups.

A bipartisan commission headed by former President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, and former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, a Republican, is calling for major changes in the way elections are held throughout the country.

One of the recommendations in the report released last week includes banning state elections officials from working on political campaigns other than their own.

"We cannot build confidence in elections if secretaries of state responsible for certifying votes are simultaneously chairing political campaigns," the report states.

In 2000, Harris was Florida's secretary of state, which made her the state's top elections administrator. At the same time, Harris, a Longboat Key Republican, was co-chair of George W. Bush's election team in Florida.

Baker was Bush's campaign attorney who monitored the election recount in Florida and fought to make Harris' certification of the 537-vote margin victory stand up in court.

"States should prohibit senior election officials from serving or assisting political campaigns in a partisan way, other than their own campaigns in states where they are elected," the report says.

Harris spokeswoman Kara Borie said Harris hadn't had a chance to review the entire report yet, but favors other reforms recommended by the Carter-Baker commission, including requiring voters to present a government-issued voter identification card.

Waiting on Flanagan

Manatee County Republican Party Chairman Mark Flanagan still isn't ready to make a decision about whether he will run for Congress.

Flanagan said on Friday that he's still seriously considering making a bid for the 13th Congressional District. The former state representative would be the fourth Republican to join the race if he jumps in. Three Democrats have already filed to run.

Longboat Key businessman Vernon Buchanan, Sarasota banker Tramm Hudson and state Rep. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, are Republicans running for the seat, which has been held by Harris since 2002. Democrats Jan Schneider, Christine Jennings and Michael La-

Fevers are the three Democrats to file for the race.

Harris announced early this summer that she was instead running for the U.S. Senate.

"Soon," Flanagan said about when he will make a decision. "I'm not in a hurry."

State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton; state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash are other Republicans who earlier considered running but decided against it.

Flanagan said he still gets nearly daily encouragement to jump in the race and has been talking to political consultants about running.

Shields rolls on

Although the political roundtable shows on television like CNN's "Capital Gang" and "Crossfire" have been axed in recent months, Mark Shields, the former moderator of "Capital Gang," doesn't see the nation tiring of the format.

Shields comes to Sarasota next week to talk politics on the heels of being picked up as a regular on PBS' "Newshour with Jim Lehrer." Shields speaks to Forum 2005 starting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Sarasota Opera House. Tickets are $15 for non-members, $10 members, and free for students. Tickets are available at Sarasota News & Books or by calling (941) 349-8350.

Although television talk shows that promote conservative politics are big ratings hits these days, Shields says there's still a place for more moderate voices like himself.

"There's always an audience if you can make an intelligent case," Shields said.

One of the topics sure to come up during his speech is the U.S. Senate race in Florida.

Shields said without a doubt, the race between Harris and incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, will be one of the two biggest races in the country in 2006. -- Yeah right.

Separated at Birth?

Top: Katherine Harris
Bottom: Ozzy Osbourne

Top 11 Reasons to Support Katherine Harris' Senatorial Bid

11. No matter where you live, you can vote for her... twice.

10. Campaign contributions are tax deductible, hush money isn't.

9. Jeb Bush has threatened to kill one prisoner a day until she is elected.

8. High-profile campaign will boost value of cosmetics stock you bought during Tammy Faye Bakker's 15 minutes of fame.

7. She ran against Elian's aunt for the nomination for Congress?

6. Catchy campaign slogan, "The only poll that matters is the Harris poll."

5. 680 American Servicemen can't be wrong.

4. Serving in the Senate will diminish her power over our lives.

3. In a decision yet to be released, Harris v. Insert Name of Democratic Nominee Here, the Supreme Court has already decided she will win by a 5-4 margin.

2. Female members of the Senate are less likely to become romantically involved with interns... especially if they are already involved with the President and/or his brother.

1. It's the only way to be sure your vote will be counted.

All your base are belong to us Sheri McInvale.

Harris needs image change to win Nelson's Senate seat

BRENDAN FARRINGTON

Associated Press
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/breaking_news/12618719.htm

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - If Katherine Harris has any hope of beating Sen. Bill Nelson, she may need an extreme makeover.

The Republican congresswoman's poll numbers are poor; her appearance continues to be a distracting issue; and a large number of voters already have a set image in their minds about her. Those are some of the reasons Republican leaders in Washington tried to find someone to run against her.

So is it true that she can't beat Nelson, a non-controversial Democrat who has enjoyed a reputation as a moderate?

Never say never. But many political experts believe the only way she could win is if voters see her as a successful congresswoman with something substantive to say on issues - rather than the caricature her critics see: a flirty, vacant, beauty-queen wannabe who used her role in the 2000 presidential recount to get to Capitol Hill.

Whether fair or not, Harris has an image problem that largely was formed during five weeks in 2000 when she oversaw the disputed presidential election as Florida's secretary of state. People know little about her four years in the state Senate and three years in Congress; she's still accused of stealing the 2000 election for George W. Bush; and her makeup is still the subject of late night talk show jokes.

It's why a recent Quinnipiac University poll shows if the election were held today rather than 14 months from now, she would get few Democrats to cross lines to vote for her, lose much of the independent vote to Nelson, and not have strong enough Republican support to make up the gap.

That poll showed Nelson favored overall, 57 percent to Harris' 33 percent. Her campaign consultant, Adam Goodman, said that will change when voters learn more about Harris.

"The campaign is all about taking the Katherine Harris story to over 90 percent of the Florida public who at best only knows a chapter or two," he said. "The campaign is designed with one simple proposition, which is expand the Katherine Harris story beyond a moment frozen in time to what she did before and since."

The Republican National Senatorial Committee has been looking at poll numbers similar to Quinnipiac's for months - a big reason why it has encouraged anyone from House Speaker Allan Bense to former congressman turned political talk show host Joe Scarborough to get in the race.

Republicans think Nelson could be beat if the right candidate would tear down his image as a moderate. They're looking at polls that show many voters still don't have an opinion about him even after five years in office.

The trouble for the GOP is that people do have opinions about Harris and they're not based on policy positions and voting records. While Republicans may appreciate her role in securing President Bush's 537-vote victory by certifying the results while Vice President Al Gore still sought recounts, many independents don't and most Democrats despise her for it.

Party leaders are concerned that her infamy will give Nelson a powerful fundraising tool and that it will be difficult for her to center the debate on Nelson's record.

"It will be hard for her to get (voters) to focus on issues given that her image is so set," agreed Michelle Swers, a Georgetown University assistant professor of government who researches women in politics.

So far, Harris hasn't done much to shift focus away from herself.

As she prepared to start her campaign, she made national headlines by claiming on a radio show that newspapers doctored photos of her during the 2000 recount - a claim denied by news agencies. That rekindled makeup jokes and she was skewered by newspaper columnists.

Largely because of those comments - and the fact that she made light of the issue in her kickoff speech - several major Florida newspapers devoted space to the makeup issue the day she began her campaign. A St. Petersburg Times headline read "Harris mines those makeup jokes in campaign kickoff."

That night she was on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" in an appearance many Republicans are privately calling an embarrassment and one that liberal bloggers have had a field day with.

"Some people characterize it as flirtation and that's something that she probably would prefer not to have as her image," Lynda Lee Kaid, a University of Florida professor who specializes in telecommunication in politics, said of the interview.

Some of the blame has to go to Harris, observers say. She should be talking only about issues, not eyeshadow. And instead of being flirty with conservative talk show hosts, she should put the focus on Nelson's record and her accomplishments.

"Voters will be willing to listen to what she has to say but if (her image) continues to be the one that it was in these incidents, she won't be able to beat Bill Nelson or anybody else."

Goodman, however, predicts the rough start will be forgotten when it comes time to vote.

"Part of that is what I call silly time," he said. "She is the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party against a vulnerable Democratic incumbent in a state that is voting more decidedly Republican. You've got to love those odds."

The lack of support from her party could go away too, said Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin.

"If she doesn't face a primary challenger, in the end she will have the party support. And you're talking about $25 to $30 million in advertising they can buy to say whatever they want about Bill," McLaughlin said. "It's going to be a tough race."

While Washington party leaders are pessimistic about her chances, the state party is standing firmly behind her. Many Florida Republicans also say she shouldn't be underestimated. Time, money and good political advice could work in her favor.

Few thought Harris could win when she ran for state Senate in 1994, but she did, beating a popular Republican in the primary and a Democratic incumbent in the general election. Then many said she had no chance when she challenged Republican incumbent Secretary of State Sandra Mortham in 1998. Harris won. Both races she used relentless and focused attacks to win and in each Goodman was with her.

"I've seen it too many times," said Richard Pinsky, a Republican strategist. "When this horse goes around the track it does what it needs to do to win, and she wins. She has a proven track record and she has the same jockey."

Money can also do a lot to change images and she's expected to be able to raise a lot. She has raised money for many Republicans around the country and can cash in on the IOUs, said Tom Slade, a former Republican Party of Florida chairman.

"She can raise as much money as she wants to spend. It's as simple as that," he said.

And she's a lot smarter than many people think, he said.

"She's a graduate from Harvard and I doubt that Bill Nelson could get in," Slade said. "The only thing they have to fuss at her about is her makeup, which is no reason at all to take issue with a lady. If they don't like the way she puts her makeup on, to hell with them."

If too much focus is put on Harris' appearance it could wind up working in her favor - as long as she's not initiating the talk, said Carol Weissert, a Florida State University political science professor.

"There might be some backlash," she said. "Women might be thinking she's getting a bad rap. We don't talk about what men wear or how their hair looks."

If Harris represents herself well and makes cogent arguments, she will be able to win over voters, Weissert said.

"She's going to have a lot of money, she has some smart people in the campaign and I think she's going to surprise people who think she's not going to do well," Weissert said. "I just hope it goes beyond whether she has too much makeup and what she wears ... If she does talk about issues and she's able to put this aside, it may be a very different campaign a year from now."

Weissert also added, "I also refute claims that she gave me a Hummer in my office as retribution for my comments today."

Katherine Harris put in charge of New Orleans Body Count

Good with numbers

New Orleans - White House officials today announced former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris would be put in charge of tallying the body count in New Orleans. Harris has reportedly stated she is "not going to count" bodies missing limbs, since they're effectively a "hanging chad" and under Louisiana forensic law, will "disqualify" any corpses without Louisiana voter registration cards or other proof of residency. "I'm not saying a particular body wasn't FOUND in New Orleans, but who knows, maybe they drowned in Arkansas two months ago and simply floated down the river. Once they're in the morgue we have no way to know which ones Katrina killed, and which ones died due to bungled FEMA rescue ops, err, natural causes.

Putting the best possible spin on the body count has quickly become a Republican obsession, with their Karl Rove reportedly brainstorming ideas on how President Bush can "survive the storm" of duelling body counts each evening - Iraq versus New Orleans. The president's brother, Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida reportedly came up with the suggestion to put Ms. Harris in charge.

FEMA has "delayed and stalled" giving body counts about as long as it can get away with, said White House spokesperson Scott McClellan. "Like it or not, at some point, we have to start ordering body bags, and that requires a number." For victims who have been "dined on" by alligators, "Hefty Extra Tough" bags may suffice, said McClellan.

Other ideas "floated" by Rove included counting legs, and dividing by two, and simply "making up a number" and sticking to it, like they did with the number of WMD's in Iraq. "A lie, repeated often enough, starts sounding like the truth" commented McClellan, who ought to know.

And IBM/Diebold consortium will reportedly receive a $3.2B contract for consulting services and computers to assist in tabulating the count. T1's will be installed between morgues, hospitals, and the Superdome so that viewers can always have the latest #'s.

Asked why they couldn't simply use numbered toe-tags, and at the end of each day count how many remained, McClellan commented, Diebold developed this system, and we have faith in it. It worked in 2004, it will work in New Orleans.

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i9167

Katherine Harris proves to be no friend of the environment

From Deb Callahan, president, League of Conservation Voters:
No objective examination of Rep. Katherine Harris’s (R-Fla.) environmental record supports the claim made by David Hill (“Don’t sell Harris short in ’06,” Aug. 17) that the congresswoman has “devoted herself to a long-standing commitment to environmental protection issues.” In fact, last year Rep. Harris earned a zero percent on the League of Conservation Voters’ national environmental scorecard.

Since first entering Congress in 2003, Rep. Harris has voted several times to shield the makers of the dangerous chemical MTBE from lawsuits after it contaminated drinking-water supplies in Florida and throughout the United States. Additionally, she has opposed meaningful efforts to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and supported cuts in critical environmental programs that reduce air and water pollution.

This past April, Rep. Harris voted for an energy bill that could have paved the way for drilling off Florida’s coast by weakening an important safeguard against new drilling projects, the Coastal Zone Management Act. Then, in a political makeover after deciding to seek higher office, she introduced a largely symbolic bill to ban drilling off Florida’s coasts and voted against the final energy bill. Rep. Harris’s blatant flip-flop on this issue raises serious questions about her commitment to protecting Florida’s beaches and coastal communities from the potentially devastating impact of an oil spill.

In short, Rep. Harris’s record clearly does not equate to one that “can appeal to crossover voters” and “moderates” who are concerned about Florida’s quality of life and protection of the state’s coasts. When push comes to shove, will Rep. Harris side with Floridians or with the oil and gas industry? As her statewide campaign continues, Rep. Harris has to answer these important questions.

Washington, D.C.

illegal "Duke" Cunningham money also went to Katherine Harris

by RallyPoint

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/22/133328/404

Wed Jun 22nd, 2005 at 10:33:28 PDT

This is my first diary ever, so I'd appreciate comments for improvement.

A growing scandal: dirty "Duke" Cunningham money also went to two other Republican representatives.

An excellent story in this morning's San Diego Union-Tribune reveals details of how corrupt defense contractor Mitchell Wade illegally coerced employees at his company, MZM Inc., to make PAC contributions. Three unnamed former employees of Wade's MZM told the Union-Tribune how Wade bullied them into making PAC contributions. This PAC money was then funneled to "Duke" Cunningham, Katherine Harris of Florida, and Virgil Goode of Virginia.

The three former MZM employees who said Wade pressured them and others to donate money to the company PAC declined to be identified, saying they feared for their careers if their names were disclosed. All continue to work in the military and intelligence fields.

They and other former MZM employees questioned the way Wade solicited contracts from Defense Department intelligence agencies during the time they worked for the company.

They also expressed concerns about Wade's dealings with three House members who received a large portion of the money disbursed by MZM's PAC. The three - all Republicans - are Cunningham and Reps. Virgil Goode of Virginia and Katherine Harris of Florida.

MZM's PAC donated $17,000 to Cunningham from 2000 to 2004. Donations included $12,000 to "Friends of Duke Cunningham" and $5,000 to his leadership PAC, the American Prosperity PAC. During the same period, MZM PAC gave Goode $11,000 and Harris $10,000.

Neither Goode's nor Harris' offices returned calls seeking comment.

This is illegal money because you cannot coerce employees to contribute to the company PAC.

"It is illegal to solicit campaign contributions for the company's political action committee by the use of threats, force or threat of job reprisal," said Larry Noble, former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission and currently director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that tracks the flow of money in politics.

The former employees told the Union-Tribune that Wade crossed the line:

"By the spring of '02, Mitch was twisting employees' arms to donate to his MZM PAC," said one former employee. "We were called in and told basically either donate to the MZM PAC or we would be fired."

But there's more...Wade actually had a system by which he controlled the timing and the amounts of the "voluntary" contributions:

Another former employee said Wade used letters to remind employees before their employment anniversaries to contribute a designated amount to the company PAC. The specific amount was based on their level of seniority in the company, with more senior officials expected to give $1,000 each and less senior employees expected to give $500, the former official said.

A third former employee described being rounded up along with other employees one afternoon in the company's Washington headquarters and told to write a check, with the political recipient standing by. The former employee wouldn't give the name of the politician receiving the donations.

Wade is a scumbag. He is war-profiteering in collusion with "Duke" Cunningham, Virgil Goode, and Katherine Harris. Of course Wade made national headlines with his purchase of "Duke" Cunningham's Del Mar house which essentially was a $700,000 bribe. Wade also owns the yacht that Cunningham lives on (named the "Duke-stir").

We need to call on all three of these Reps. to return the dirty money. I am in the San Diego area and it seems very likely that "Duke" will not survive this scandal. I would love to see Harris and Goode (ohh the irony of that name!) dragged down as well.

Harris camp feels 'a stab in the back'

By Bob Cusack
http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/062905/harris.html

Frustrated with the White House and a key Republican, supporters of Rep. Katherine Harris' (R-Fla.) 2006 Senate campaign lashed out at the administration yesterday for seeking to convince another prominent GOP official to enter the race.

"It's unimaginable that the White House folks and the National Republican Senatorial Committee would be so disloyal to Katherine Harris, especially after all she has done for the Bush family and the Republican Party," a Florida political operative who supports Harris said. "It's unconscionable and a stab in the back."

Harris backers are irritated that State House Speaker Allan Bense met with White House chief of staff Karl Rove and NRSC Chairwoman Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) this week to discuss challenging Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) next year.

The operative added, "If it is true, they should be ashamed and embarrassed, considering she stepped aside at their request for the president and Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) in 2004. It's her turn."

People loyal to Harris claim her move not to run last year demonstrated her loyalty, noting that the president has already won his reelection bid. Some in the White House were concerned that a Harris run in 2004 would have hurt Bush's chances in the Sunshine State.

Sources said Harris has hired several political heavyweights, including Edward Rollins, who has served in three Republican presidential administrations and was President Ronald Reagan's campaign director for his 1984 re-election campaign. Rollins also served as campaign manager for Ross Perot's presidential bid in 1992.

Others who are on Harris's team include Ed Goeas of the Tarrance Group, a highly regarded pollster, and Adam Goodman of the Victory Group, a media consultant who has worked with many Republicans.

Jim Foster of James Foster and Associates will be in charge of Harris' direct mail campaign. Harris is also being advised by two lobbyists -- Ben McKay of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and Dan Berger with America's Community Bankers.

Some GOP officials fear that Harris, who became a household name during the prolonged 2000 presidential election, is too polarizing a figure to defeat Nelson.

Others Republicans disagree, with one saying that Democrats and pundits "said the exact same thing about Bush's re-election in 2004…The polarization is a made-up word by people who fear her."

Another GOP official said, "Polarizing can be a plus," explaining that she has strong support from many Republicans and hope to enhance her negative numbers over the next 16 months.

Florida strategists who back Harris stress that the congresswoman is not frustrated, adding that she knows what she was getting into.

They also point out that Harris is used to being an underdog, with one commenting, "The Party establishment primaried when she ran for State Senate. She won. The Party establishment supported her primary opponent when she ran statewide for Secretary of State. She won….Don't bet against Katherine, she will win again in '06."

Bense has not yet decided to enter the race. But if he does, a Bense-Harris showdown could lead to a bitter GOP primary race that could damage Republican hopes to unseat Nelson.

Brian Nick An NRSC spokesman confirmed its meeting with Bense, which was reported by Roll Call yesterday. Nick added " it is common" and "a normal occurrence" for the NRSC to meet with prospective candidates.

A GOP poll released in February showed Harris as a favorite to grab the GOP nomination in Florida , but also indicated she would lose to Nelson by 7 percent. Harris supporters note that Martinez was trailing in his race last year before surging in the last several weeks.

In March, Rove twice met with Harris, triggering speculation that he was urging her not to run. While Harris disputed that account at the time, Republicans in Washington and Florida maintained that the White House wanted her to remain in the House.

Taylor Gross, a White House spokesman, said: "At this time, the president has not taken a position on the upcoming primary. The White House has met with numerous candidates who have shown interest in the primary."

The White House also indicated that Harris is one of those candidates.

Harris invited on 'Daily Show'

Article published Aug 22, 2005

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050822/COLUMNIST89/508220404

Katherine Harris will be one of the first people to tell you she tries to keep a sense of humor about the pervading jokes about her makeup.

But that doesn't mean the U.S. Senate candidate from Longboat Key will be taking "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" up on its recent offer to appear on the comedy show. Just a week ago, Stewart was comparing Harris to Ace Frehley of KISS, the rock band known for wearing heavy makeup.

Harris, who said she doesn't even know what "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" is, said she'll probably pass.

"It is not high on my list of priorities," she said.

Harris said she'll continue to go on national talk shows but will stick with serious programs where real issues will be discussed.

"The Daily Show," on Comedy Central, has become a regular stop for many politicians, both Republican and Democrat. Last year, Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John McCain, former President Bill Clinton and then-Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie all were interviewed on the show.

Carlton's next step?

The political rumor mill was buzzing last week with reports that state Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey, could be a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2006.

But Carlton is trying to kill the idea almost as quickly as it has sprouted up.

"No, that's not true," Carlton told the Sarasota County Republican Executive Committee on Thursday night.

Carlton, first elected to the state Senate in 1998, said she's happy where she is and plans to serve out her term, which ends in 2008.

Harris backed bill aiding Riscorp

But the Republican senator's campaign manager denies she gave Riscorp favorable treatment in exchange for campaign contributions.

By DIANE RADO

St. Petersburg Times, published August 25, 1998
http://www.sptimes.com/State/82598/Harris_backed_bill_ai.html

---

ALLAHASSEE -- Needing help in the state capital, Riscorp insurance company turned to a lawmaker they had helped with thousands of dollars in campaign contributions: Sen. Katherine Harris, R-Sarasota.

Harris obliged, sponsoring a bill in 1996 to block Riscorp competitors from getting a greater share of Florida workers' compensation market.

She also pushed a proposal that would hurt a particular competitor.

Harris, now running for Secretary of State, has denied any favorable treatment toward Riscorp, based in Sarasota.

"She never gave more weight to one person or another because of campaign contributions," said campaign manager, Marc Reichelderfer. In fact, he said, Harris has also worked against Riscorp's interests since she became a state senator in 1994.

Today, Harris' relationship with Riscorp has been in the spotlight, caught up in a campaign finance scandal that has raised questions about the influence of money in politics.

Federal prosecutors say nearly $400,000 of Riscorp contributions to Harris and dozens of other politicians were illegal. Five Riscorp executives have pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges. Riscorp's founder, Bill Griffin, was sentenced to five months in federal custody earlier this month in connection with the scheme to reimburse his employees for the illegal contributions.

A week before the primary election, Harris is airing a television commercial that criticizes her opponent, Secretary of State Sandra Mortham, for taking "illegal contributions from insurance executives."

Mortham got $5,825 from Riscorp in 1993 and 1994, but she has since put that amount into a special elections trust fund that combats voter fraud. She also got $1,500 in legal contributions from companies associated with Riscorp.

In contrast, Harris got $20,292 in illegal contributions from Riscorp during her 1994 state Senate campaign -- more than any other legislative candidate. She also has put that amount into the special elections trust fund. Harris also received $13,000 in legal corporate contributions from various Riscorp companies, more than any other candidate in any race, federal records show.

Federal prosecutors described her 1994 campaign manager as one of the "co-conspirators" or "co-schemers" in an effort to hide the true identity of campaign contributors on campaign finance reports.

And a 1994 memo shows that Riscorp advised the campaign manager on how to change the addresses on Riscorp checks to keep the media from tracing them back to Riscorp.

Harris said she thought her campaign wanted different addresses for Riscorp checks because they preferred street addresses rather than post office boxes.

When she came to Tallahassee, Harris was appointed to the Senate's Banking and Insurance committee. That made it natural for Riscorp to approach her about legislation, said Gary Guzzo, a Riscorp lobbyist who asked for Harris' help in 1996.

Harris agreed to sponsor a bill proposed by the company that would eliminate certain price discounts that workers' compensation insurers can offer with approval from state regulators.

Guzzo said the discounts were largely used by out-of-state carriers who wanted a share of Florida's market.

The state Insurance Department had done a study on the issue, Guzzo said, recognizing that large deviations from rates set by the state could destabilize the worker's compensation market.

Pete Mitchell, chief of staff for Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson, agreed Monday that the agency was concerned about the effect of large discounts, as well as the limited state guidance on when the discounts should be approved or rejected.

However, Mitchell said the department was not pushing Harris' legislation as part of its own legislative agenda that year. It did sign off on a compromise on the bill -- to freeze use of the discounts for a year, rather than eliminate them. Not everyone was happy with the change. After all, banning the discounts could also help Riscorp ward off competitors trying to get a piece of the market.

"They (Riscorp) only advocated things that put money into their own personal pocket," said Jon Shebel, head of Associated Industries of Florida, a powerful business lobby that also sells workers' compensation insurance.

Shebel himself was stung by a Harris move on behalf of Riscorp at the end of the legislative session in 1996.

At Guzzo's request, she sponsored an amendment that would have required Shebel and three directors of the workers' compensation business to undergo a public hearing to determine if they were fit to serve.

"Obviously, we were very upset with Katherine Harris at the time," Shebel said. He said she apologized to him, saying she didn't know the amendment was aimed at him specifically. The amendment was approved by the Senate but not by the House, Guzzo recalled.

Guzzo also said Harris has worked against Riscorp, including filing legislation against the company's interests in a Sarasota managed care operation.

"It is a very clear sign that whatever campaign contributions they gave had no influence," said Reichelderfer. Still, there is a general concern any time a legislator helps out a campaign contributor, said Sally Spener, of the public interest group Common Cause.

"The main reason that we have worked so hard for campaign finance reform legislation over the years is that we believe that campaign contributors have special access and special influence," Spener said.

Sex after 60?

Katherine Harris accepts largest campaign contribution in Florida history from Pfizer, the makers of that little blue pill, Viagra.

Harris, moments after a "product sample" with "Backdoor Bubba."

Katherine Harris welcomes her 1000th volunteer!!!!

We welcome Maya Titzag to the Harris for Senate team!

Protecting our environment for our future:

With over ninety miles of coastline spread the length of the thirteenth congressional district, it is imperative that we never waiver in the fight to protect Florida's environment and natural resources.

We must preserve our pristine beaches and fight against off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Our beautiful, inland waterways must continue to be a vital amenity for our residents while we work to secure additional funding for critical environmental impact studies to assure Florida's environment is protected for generations to come.

That is why I chose to vote FOR an early version of the energy bill that would have shielded producers of MTBE from litigation and opened up drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Katherine Harris: Top Heavy on her High Horse

Cruella DeVille the Purge Princess doing it Country style:

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Article published Sep 1, 2005

Early polling shows Harris losing ground
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20050901/NEWS/509010567

By Jeremy Wallace

After nearly a month of campaigning around the state, Republican Katherine Harris finds herself losing ground to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in early polling, rather than closing a gap described as too great to overcome.

Two polls, including one released on Wednesday, show Harris' first month of campaigning has increased the deficit, renewing speculation that the GOP needs to find an alternative to Harris.

"It's easy to see why Republicans in the White House and the state House are skeptical about running U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris as their candidate for the Senate next year," said Clay Richards, assistant director for the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in New York.

According to a Quinnipiac poll of 1,100 registered voters released Wednesday, Nelson, a Democrat, leads Harris 57 percent to 33 percent. One month ago, a Quinnipiac poll, showed Nelson leading Harris 50 percent to 38 percent.

It's a similar story from Strategic Vision, a Republican polling company that last week released a poll that also showed Nelson increasing his advantage over Harris.

David Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision, said he can't see how the Republican Party can allow Harris to go unchallenged if they're paying attention to the early polls.

Johnson said it has been a bad start to the campaign. Harris received a lot of attention for claiming the media had doctored photos of her, while never providing specifics. She followed that with a campaign event in front of a public school in Hillsborough County, over the school district's objections.

And on the day she formally announced she was running, she made a poor appearance on the Fox Network's "Hannity & Colmes" talk show, Johnson said. She stumbled on her words, repeated herself, looked uncomfortable in front of the cameras and avoided some of the questions.

Harris' campaign didn't return repeated phone calls and e-mails on Wednesday.

State and national party officials have made no secret that they are looking for other candidates to challenge Harris.

In the past two months, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has met with both Florida House Speaker Allan Bense and TV talk show host Joe Scarborough about challenging Harris in a 2006 Republican primary.

NRSC officials won't say whether they're still recruiting challengers.

"There are certainly people out there that continue to express interest," NRSC spokesman Brian Nick said.

One of the most often mentioned is U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Jupiter. Foley has said repeatedly that he isn't ruling out a race against Harris, although he said he doesn't anticipate making an announcement anytime soon.

Nelson isn't even looking at the polls yet, said Dan McLaughlin, spokesman for Nelson. He said Nelson is doing his job and holding town hall meetings around the state and he isn't worried about potential political opponents.

Letter to the Editor in Sarasota Herald Tribune

Click to Vote on me, don't worry,
I won't purge your vote this time!!!

Letter to the Editor in Sarasota Herald Tribune

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20050717/OPINION/507170704/1029/OPINION05

Article published July 17, 2005

Harris' vote protects polluters

Rep. Katherine Harris has voted again to bail out the makers of the gasoline additive, MTBE. This dangerous chemical has contaminated drinking water in her district, and recently the Environmental Protection Agency declared MTBE a likely human carcinogen.

The energy bill in the House protects the makers and refiners of MTBE from any product liability, which means affected communities and taxpayers will have to pick up the bill for billions of dollars in cleanup expenses.

Katherine Harris, who has received campaign contributions from MTBE interests -- including Tom DeLay's PAC and oil and gas companies -- that support the MTBE liability waiver, has failed to shield the taxpayers and public health from ground-water pollution.

Norma Dayton
Venice

####

Harris Watch

Harris Watch

Letter to the Editor in Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/letters/12369108.htm

Article published August 14, 2005

Oil-drilling vote

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris claimed that she will never waver when it comes to protecting Florida's coastline from offshore oil drilling. Yet, in April she voted for an energy bill that would have paved the way for drilling off Florida's coast by weakening the safeguards against new drilling projects.

Later, she voted against the final energy bill, which included an inventory of offshore oil and gas along our nation's coastlines. This stinks of a political makeover for her Senate campaign.
I don't trust Harris to protect our coastlines. Will she side with Floridians or with oil and gas companies?

CHARLES CHAMBERLAIN, Miami

####

Is Katherine Harris' office resisting Florida election reforms?
County election supervisors charge that her top election lieutenant is sandbagging efforts to clean up the state's voter-roll mess.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Anthony York

Aug. 4, 2001 | In the ongoing fight to reform Florida's flawed electoral process, county election supervisors are now charging that Secretary of State Katherine Harris' office is sandbagging efforts to clean up problems from last year's election.

At issue is who will create and maintain control of the state's database of eligible voters. The story became a big piece of the Florida election puzzle after a Salon investigation revealed a series of problems with the database created by a private company called ChoicePoint, and its subsidiary, DBT Online, and the way that database was used by the state Division of Elections.

The Salon investigation of Florida's voter rolls last year revealed that many voters, perhaps thousands, lost their right to vote because their names appeared on a flaw-ridden list generated by DBT (which has tight Republican ties) that included purported "felons." The investigation revealed that the lists were used in different ways at each of the state's 67 individual county election boards. Some found the list too unreliable and didn't use it at all, but most used the file as a resource to purge names from their voter lists. A disproportionate number of the voters purged were Democrats.

As a result of the problems, and the national focus on Florida's contested election, the Legislature moved quickly to enact a series of election reforms. The new laws prohibited the state from outsourcing the database to companies like DBT and called on Harris' office to enter into negotiations with the Florida Association of Court Clerks, which currently maintains the state's deadbeat-dad database.

But Ion Sancho, supervisor of elections in Leon County, now says that Harris' office, led by the director of the Division of Elections, Clay Roberts, is trying to sandbag that reform by proclaiming negotiations with the clerks' association dead.

"We were very disappointed to see that Clay Roberts took it upon himself to kill the contract," Sancho, who is a Democrat, says. "Florida is going to be in the spotlight and examined and it's not the time to continue playing political games with our elections. The bottom line is we still haven't solved the problem of disenfranchising legal, registered voters in this state."

Roberts was out of town Friday and not available for comment. Calls to Harris' media affairs office were also not returned. But a memo sent by Roberts to county election commissioners says negotiations between the division and the clerks broke down because of "several issues that neither party could agree on and, as such, we were unable to negotiate a contract that satisfies all parties."

Instead, Roberts says, "I have decided and directed my staff to develop and implement an in-house plan that will allow for the database to be fully operational by June 1, 2002." Though the division has no experience in compiling and maintaining such a database, Roberts states that "the secretary has committed the full resources of the department information technology staff to this project to ensure its success."

According to the St. Petersburg Times, one of the main reasons the negotiations broke down was money. The clerks' association wanted $750,000, which was $250,000 more than what Roberts says the Legislature intended to spend. But Sancho doesn't buy the money argument.

"The deal with ChoicePoint was a $4 million contract. Now they're balking at a $750,000 contract? Something's not right here. The argument doesn't make sense. Besides, the Legislature is the only entity that approves money. There was never any figure given to the division. And for them to use the argument that the clerks' association was going to cost too much is not really their concern. Either the Legislature would appropriate it or not."

The clerks -- who include both Democrats and Republicans -- were given first crack at the database only after long negotiations between the state's House and Senate. It was the Senate version of the election reform bill that gave the database contract to the clerks, and now Sancho says Roberts is trying to unilaterally undo the legislative compromise.

He says that while both legislative houses are controlled by Republicans, "the Senate is much more open and nonpartisan. The House is extremely partisan. Remember, the House wanted to appoint Bush delegates while the election was still being decided. They're still in that same highly charged mind frame."

Republican senators have reacted with measured concern over Roberts' latest maneuver. "I just hope it's not a bunch of adults acting like children," Sen. Bill Posey told the St. Petersburg Times.

But Sancho says Roberts is once again playing politics with the state's election process. "The clerks are an independent, nonpartisan organization," he says. "We, the supervisors of elections, feel these people have experience with a statewide database that works. But Roberts' decision has the supervisor of elections very concerned. This has poisoned the waters as much as anything since the election."

In the meantime, Sancho says he and other county election leaders are making simultaneous appeals to Harris and Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene. Pam Iorio, election supervisor in Hillsborough County, has been designated to get in touch with Harris. Sancho says it is unclear whether Harris herself knew about Roberts' decision, or whether her deputy was simply acting on his own.

"We don't even know if she knows about this action," he says. "Her argument to the Civil Rights Commission was that she just delegates everything. And it's true -- she's shown she knows absolutely diddly squat about elections."

Sancho says there are also efforts to get Gov. Bush's attention about this matter through Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan, who is close to Bush. "We've tried to get intermediaries to get the governor involved," Sancho says. "We've contacted friends of his, but getting the parties together is not easy."

All your base are belong to us Sheri McInvale.