Gov. Bush Doubts Harris Can Win Fla. Seat

Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Sarasota, speaks with the media after filing papers to run for her Senate campaign on Monday May 8, 2006 in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

Talk about the Republicans dumping on poor Katherine Harris. This is from Yahoo News:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday that U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record) has dropped so low in public opinion polls she cannot beat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (news, bio, voting record) in November.

"I just don't think she can win," Bush said at the Capitol in his strongest statement yet about his fellow Republican's struggling campaign.

The governor has made no secret that he hopes House Speaker Allan Bense will challenge Harris for the Republican nomination. Bense has not made up his mind, his wife, Tonie, said Monday from their Panama City home. The deadline for entering September's primary is Friday.

"With all due respect to the governor ... we know we can win," Harris told reporters Monday after filing her qualifying papers.

Harris has been dogged by staff turnover and her acceptance of $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions from defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty to bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif.

Bush also noted that polls show Harris running about 30 points behind Nelson.

Harris rose to national prominence as Florida's secretary of state during the contentious presidential election recount in 2000, the election that resulted in the governor's brother winning Florida by only 537 votes and the presidency. She has been unable to shake that divisive image dispute during two terms in Congress.

I'm not sure I know what else I can say about this. I'm sure that Harris ran a sloppy campaign, considering her acceptance of illegal campaign contributions, and her problems with staff turnover. But Harris was also a controversial figure. She was deeply involved in both the designing of Florida's "butterfly ballot" which caused confusion among voters, and in the Florida 2000 recount challenges which gave George Bush the White House. She is a Republican partisan, and that is her greatest weakness. She may have felt that her work in giving Florida to George Bush in 2000, would allow her to receive complete Republican support for her own campaign in the Florida senate race.

Only the Republicans are deserting her now. Even the president's brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, wants another Republican, House Speaker Allan Bense, to challenge Harris in the Florida primary. It is amazing at how quickly they are deserting Harris, and even telling Harris to drop out of the race in not too subtle ways--Jeb Bush says, "I just don't think she can win." How much more subtle can that statement be?

I doubt that Harris will drop out. I would say there is too much hubris inside of her--perhaps even some defiance at the Republican political establishment. This is a lady who is willing to gamble her $10 million inheritance to win this senate seat. This is a woman who probably felt that she gave George Bush the White House, and now she wants the Republicans to give her complete support for this senate seat. In other words, this senate seat is Harris' just rewards for working in the Republican establishment. Only she is so blind in her pride, hubris, and perhaps even her own anger at the Republican Party leadership, that she cannot see how everyone is deserting her. But, the longer Harris stays in the race, the better the chance that Bill Nelson will keep his senate seat for the Democrats.