Katherine Harris Planning US Senate Run

Drudge ^

[Bush Cheney]

Watch your makeup compact, Hillary, Florida's Katherine Harris may have her eyes on the United States Senate, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

MORE

Against the apparent wishes of senior Bush strategists, Harris has decided in her heart and mind that she will seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat, sources close to Harris tell DRUDGE.

"She wants it, wants it badly!" a top source said Thursday. "She'll make her decision public within the next week."

The source, who has daily contact with Harris, cautions the congresswoman still could hold back and not make the run, in deference to the president and his brother's wishes.

Sarasota County's GOP chairman, Tramm Hudson, said he spoke to Harris Tuesday night and that she seemed ready to run, according to reports. Harris continues to be one of the party's top fund-raisers.

Elsewhere, Texas Senator Kay Hutchison has reportedly advised her republican counterpart to "Go for it!"

If elected Harris would join a select group of women ever to serve in the United States Senate.

MORE Harris advisers dispel any notion that bad blood still runs in Florida over Harris's role in the 2000 election drama.

"Look, Governor Bush handily won re-election last year, after 2000, and the state's voters did not punish him," notes one top Harris strategist who asked not to be named.

"And they will not punish Katherine. The senate campaign will be on the issues, and electing the best person to represent Florida in the senate!"

Developing...

[OldFriend]

If you are sane, you will agree that Katherine Harris was doing her job.

The left and their cohorts in the media are NOT sane.

We live in the real world and sometimes that means not insisting on your way.

[dts32041]

Wrong answer, the whorehouse and what it wants is very important to this situation, that is why Mel Martinez, is there, he is the white house pick.

[MindBender26]

No apologies. No wavering. She's good enough for the Senate for me.

The problem is, It's not our votes she needs. She would need the votes of the indeopendents and undecideds, and she would not do well there.

She ran and won in a heavilly R district. Good.

Statewide is very different.

[petercooper]

It's too soon for her. She can wait for 2006.

[bmwcyle]

I would vote for her.

[hchutch]

Keep in mind, Bush was picking up a lot of support, and the Dems can't raise too much about Florida - they have TONS of dirt there, too. Tossing out military votes, for instance.

Give that Howard Dean at the top of the Dem ticket will have an excited left-wing base, Harris would excite conservatives a lot more than McCollum or Martinez and help even the odds. Given the Dems tries in `02 and failed, I think she'd win.

All three of them (Harris, Martinez, and McCollum) would be good Senators, and any of the three would get my vote as the nominee.

[Republican Wildcat]

I think you may have misunderstood my post...or perhaps I didn't word it clearly. In either case, my point was that we can come up with our own analysis without Rove's input or lack thereof. Most of us questioned the wisdom of such a run before Rove's supposed feelings on the subject were known.

[MindBender26]

Sorry, but that is not a statistic you use to predict a statewide race.

In Realpolitic, one of the first things you look at is their Q rating. That is the percentage of people who know them who like them, minus two and a half times the number of people who know them and dislike them. Katherine does very poorly here STATEWIDE.

Another viable test is the Dollar Driver Scale. You get a percentage of voters who would GIVE MONEY to see her elected, vs those who would GIVE MONEY to see her opponent elected. (You are not actually looking for money here, just the depth of commitment.) Again, she fairs very poorly in this STATEWIDE.

Finally, you poll voters and ask if they are in favor/opposed to her "slightly or an average amount or a huge amount?" Again, she does poorly here, with those who oppose her doing so with great vigor.

A great lady. Not this race; not this time.

[Republican Wildcat]

I think you may have misunderstood my post...or perhaps I didn't word it clearly. In either case, my point was that we can come up with our own analysis with Rove's input or lack thereof. Most of us questioned the wisdom of such a run before Rove's supposed feelings on the subject were known.

[Kevin Curry]

The Prez needs more votes than the Republicans.

In the aftermath of the campaign finance reform, Medicare prescription drug entitlement, and guest worker amnesty-by-installment debacles, he certainly does.

But Rove's fronting Mel Martinez for the Senate is race-based politics pure and simple. While Martinez may be well qualified, I seriously doubt that Rove would be pushing his candidacy if he were not Hispanic.

[MindBender26]

It will be a Bush v. Hillary race, and will go 50%/49%

[Republican Wildcat]

Wrong answer, the whorehouse and what it wants is very important to this situation, that is why Mel Martinez, is there, he is the white house pick.

The White House wants Mel Martinez to run--no kidding. That's why he resigned his cabinet post. Yippee kay yay yo yippe ay. That's still doesn't demonstrate how your post was a relevant response.

[krb]

Nope. Some sort of campaign worker I think.

[B Knotts]

Thanks for posting those numbers. Clarifies the situation.

[MindBender26]

But Rove's fronting Mel Martinez for the Senate is race-based politics pure and simple

It is far beyond that.

Here in Florida, you need to run 5 races.

1, Hispanic South Florida,
2, The East Coast Jewish Condo Commandos
3, Industrial Tampa and Jax
4, I-75 to I-4 to I-95, Naples to Orlando and north (outside Tampa and Jax.)
5, The Redneck Riviera (west of Jax to LA, or what we call Lower Alabama; I-10 all the way to Pensacola.

Mel wins 4 of the 5, losing only the Condo Commandos.

He wins.

[B Knotts]

He wins with 10% of the vote?

[hchutch]

But Jeb Bush was also dealing with the same allegations as well. The margin was larger than 50-49, IIRC.

It would be close, I agree. A 52/47 race. Given Jeb Bush's presence in `02, given the fact the Rats were just as dirty there, and the fact that she took a strong stand for doing her job, I think she comes out on top of that matchup. But it would require a lot of resources.

Again, the big concern is the number of activists Dean could generate for the other side. He's got a big direct-donor list, and he has excited their base. It would not hurt to have ours excited down in Florida after the last race.

I would like to emphasize that all three of the major names would be good Senators, and each have valid points in their favor. McCollum has a statewide race under his belt, albeit he lost it. Martinez would probably have a solid win, and he does provide a high profile for future elections, although I'd have him for 2006, since the sixth-year elections for two-term Presidents tend to be rough. Katherine Harris excites the activists, which would even the odds against Howard Dean's activists.

Furthermore, all would be good Senators. No need to get in srious arguments over this.

[MindBender26]

What are you talking about?

[Republican Wildcat]

Crist is running the strongest for a general election contest...who is that? No surprise the Dem is the strongest against a matchup with Harris.

The way Harris is described in the article is exactly why this would be bad news...and that description is probably quite charitiable compared to what would come down the road.