Harris wins Florida GOP primary for U.S. Senate seat

Republican Senate candidate Rep. Katherine Harris, center, celebrates her victory in the primary election with State rep. Leslie Waters, left, and husband Anders Ebbeson, right, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006 at her election headquarters in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

I think it is time for another exciting episode of Katherine Harris--The Keystone Kook! This is off The Washington Post:

MIAMI, Sept. 5 -- Shunned by party leaders and battered by repeated campaign controversies, Rep. Katherine Harris nonetheless held on to enough support from the state's Republican voters Tuesday to win Florida's Senate primary convincingly over three little-known candidates.

It was in many ways an embarrassing result for state GOP leaders: They had urged the former Florida secretary of state, a polarizing figure since her role in the 2000 presidential election recount, not to run.

Harris now faces Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in a race that strategists have said may be impossible for her to win. Polls have shown Nelson with a lead as wide as 30 percentage points.

Harris told supporters Tuesday night her victory shows that they together can "courageously beat the odds."

"We shall be victorious this November in sending Bill Nelson home," she promised.

"The die-hard Republican voters, they love her," said Jennifer Duffy, editor of the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election newsletter. "They think she got a bum rap in 2000."

So it is Harris verses Nelson. It doesn't surprise me that Harris won the seat--there is probably enough right wing-nuts who are so willing to follow her down a cliff. But the entire Harris campaign has been operating like a terrible parody of the Keystone Kops--hence, my naming Harris' blogpostings Katherine Harris--the Keystone Kook! Consider this from the Post:

The Harris campaign stumbled repeatedly during the run-up to the election. Fundraising fell short, prompting Harris to pledge $10 million of her own money. News stories linked her to a defense contractor convicted of bribing then-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.). And staff members repeatedly quit, sometimes citing her alternately abusive and flirty behavior.

Most recently, she was criticized for calling separation of church and state "a lie we have been told," and she angered many by saying: "If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin."

With the election coming up in two months, I just have to wonder what other "kooky" statement will be coming out of Harris' mouth.

The fun is just beginning....