"Harris has nearly 100% name I.D., yet consistantly [sic] polls no better than 40% and trails by double digits. There is very little potential for growth."
Even if Harris has nearly 100% name ID (which I doubt, since not everyone watches cable news 24-7 and since probably 10% of 2006 Florida voters didn't even live in Florida in 2000), that does not mean that the *current impression* that Florida voters have of Harris will be the one they have *15 months from now* (which is several lifetimes in American politics). Arnold Schwarzenegger had nearly 100% name ID in 1987, 1995, 2003 and 2005, but the impression of Arnold that voters had in each of those moments was very different.
Katherine Harris and the GOP have 15 months to get the message out that Harris merely executed the law as written in the 2000 election, and thus prevented the Democrats from illegally winning Florida's (then) 25 electoral votes. They can also let voters know about her charity work, her principled stances on the issues, her congressional votes supporting the George W. Bush administration, and all of her other qualities that make her an ideal U.S. Senator from Florida. I am not worried at all about the ability of Harris and the GOP to change independent voters' impressions of her (if just a few independents switch from undecided to Harris, she should win, since her candidacy would bring increased conservative turnout), although I *am* somewhat concerned that the longer that poll-induced-alarmist Republicans gripe about her candidacy and publicly say that "she can't win" that it will become a self-fullfilling prophecy.
although I *am* somewhat concerned that the longer that poll-induced-alarmist Republicans gripe about her candidacy and publicly say that "she can't win" that it will become a self-fullfilling prophecy. Nail, meet head.
As I said before, I would probably perfer another candidate to run against Nelson, but since it doesn't look likely that any of them could win the primary, (since Jeb and Gallhager don't want in), I say gather round Harris and go for it.