More from Fla. Slimes-Union:
Bush ready to endorse King for Senate, aides say
By J. TAYLOR RUSHING, Capital Bureau Chief
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush is stepping into the First Coast's state Senate race between two Republicans to endorse incumbent Jim King over challenger Randall Terry.
Bush plans to announce the endorsement today in Tallahassee, according to King and Bush staffers. The governor's move could be a serious blow to Terry, who has been attacking King's GOP credentials for more than a year. The endorsement also is a rarity for the state's top Republican, who typically refrains from picking favorites among party candidates.
The endorsement may go back to the spring when King helped Bush promote legislation to protect school vouchers and loosen the class-size constitutional amendment. Although the measures failed, King helped lead the push in the Senate and said Bush is repaying the favor.
"He just said, 'I appreciate it and you'll see how much so in your race,'" King said. "This makes a tremendous difference, and I can guarantee you it will be used."
Terry called the news "tragic."
"I thought the governor was a man of principle," he said. "This ignores the base of this party in this district. The political record of Jim King and the agenda of Jeb Bush have been at odds repeatedly, and this is why so many rank-and-file Republicans are disenchanted with the party's leadership. They forget about their base."
Bush has had friction with both men. In 2003, while King was Senate president, the two disagreed on medical malpractice lawsuits and forced a series of special legislative sessions. Since then, there has been tension between the two over Bush vetoes of King's priorities in the state budget.
This year, the two worked together on a range of legislation and Bush left intact an appropriation King helped win for $10 million in state money for the St. Johns River cleanup.
"Both of us always held each other in high regard, and we always laughed at each other no matter what the debate was," King said. "Mostly we've been on the same page."
Bush and Terry have an uneasy history because of the 2005 Terri Schiavo debate. Terry was a spokesman for the brain-damaged woman's parents while Bush was trying to maneuver around a court order to re-insert her feeding tube. Terry criticized the governor for not doing more, saying Bush lacked courage during the legal showdown and "failed" the family and supporters. Terry has kept a spotlight on the issue, campaigning recently with Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler.
Terry said he and Bush were on the same side throughout most of the episode but acknowledged he was unhappy with Bush's "unwillingness to intervene."
"I'm committed to principle first," Terry said. "That's why this is disappointing."
jt.rushing@jacksonville.com, (850) 224-7515, ext. 11
It's morally permissible to vote for a pro or semi-pro-abortion politician if his opponent is worse, or if there are other better candidates who have no chance of winning. But I wouldn't do it.