Harris holds lead heading into final week

AP via HeraldToday.com ^ | 31 August 2006 | BRENT KALLESTAD

[Nick Danger]

The reason her opponents fare poorly against Nelson is that no one has heard of them. Hopefully, that would end if they got the nomination.

That's an awfully big "hopefully." We both know that the Florida media's guns are trained on Harris because she is leading in the primary and is Nelson's most likely opponent. Should one of the other candidates win the primary, the media would immediately turn its guns on them. The media would have the "unknown" GOP nominee painted as a baby-eating, widow-starving "far right" Enemy Of The People before the guy got his first ad on TV. Meanwhile, the RNC and the RSCC are not suddenly going to start pouring money into a candidate who is running his first race against an entrenched incumbent.

[bill1952]

like getting caught with a hooker in a hotel room with cocain up in nose.

Oh please. Wouldn't change two dem votes.

In a drunken binge with a mistress, Teddy ran his car off a bridge and let her drown to death while he ran to his lawyer's office.

The result? Elected for life.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

But she would get blown away. It would be ugly.

Even if Harris loses, I appreciate the way that she put her name, money, and career on the line for a Senate seat when nobody else had the guts to do so.

Harris should be commended regardless of the election outcome.

[DustyMoment]

The only way Harris could win this election is if Nelson dropped dead.

Realistically, isn't that true, period?? Barring some cataclysmic event between now and November, IMO there is just about no one that the 'Pubbies can run to unseat Nelson. We're simply stuck with him. I think that KHarris still has a better shot than any of the others. The 'wild card' aspect of McBride is, IMO, simply that. Too often, the folks who come up with these associations (he's Hispanic, so that'll draw some of the Hispanic vote), are smoking something that isn't really legal in this country and their predictions often fail to come true.

[demkicker]

Touche', LOL!

[JulieRNR21]

None of the other candidates has a chance of beating her, and she sure as heck can't beat Nelson.

---

Have you ever met or seen Katherine campaigning? She is the hardest working campaigner I've ever encountered. When they meet her....most people are surprised that she is not the monster the drive-by media tries to create. She's a warm, up-beat, articulate and knowledgeable lady.

The FL Big Elephants & the GOP base will get behind her when she wins the primary!

She has a strong conservative record to run on and she really can beat Nelson. (The rabid liberal FL press knows that and that why it's been on the attack for months. )

Nelson's approval rating among adult men has been dropping steadily since 55% in January and is now at 46%. His disapproval has risen steadily from 33% and is now 43%.

When KH exposes him as the liberal he is....his approval rating will go much lower.

Nelson's not done much in his first term except vote with kerry, kennedy & klinton.

Harris has been the 'underdog' before and has emerged the winner! I believe Katherine can squeeze in just like Martinez. Please consider giving her your vote for her conservative values and her good record in Congress......Please don't waste it on McBride.

[JulieRNR21]

You're overlooking a similar 'wild card' with Harris among women.

Exactly.....I've had women point to my Harris sticker and say that Florida really needs a woman senator to represent 'our POV".

Others have told me that they are 'angered' by the relentless attacks on Harris in the newspapers.

[JohnnyZ]

Harris set to sweep aside her opponents in a walk away race

Um, a 38-22 lead is nothing to shout about.

Only 36% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of her.

It's pathetic.

[JohnnyZ]

In this forum, at least two obnoxious people have already offered substantial wagers that Harris will lose the election.

Whoa! Are you taking those bets?

I want in!

[trumandogz]

Once the President, Cheney and Jeb hit the campaign trail for Harris she will catch up in the polls and win the Senate seat.

[JohnnyZ]

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Bill Nelson? 
Favorable 49% 
Unfavorable 11%

Those are quite good ratings. A little weak on the favorable side, but excellent on the unfavorable side.

Harris is obviously a non-starter as a candidate, 40 points down, she's a joke, but if McBride were to somehow pull off the upset he would have a chance to make the case that Nelson has been too quiet/ineffective.

[JohnnyZ]

If you believe that Harris can't beat Nelson, but has the best name recognition in the state (as other polls indicate), how will voting for McBride, who has little name recognition

Name recognition is not good if people know you and hate you, as they do Harris.

Better to have a blank slate like McBride who would get a lot of free positive publicity pulling off an upset than a Typhoid Mary like Katherine Harris, who is only becoming MORE unpopular.

[NautiNurse]

Betting against a conservative candidate in the general election is just another example of your asinine posting history.

Harris is going to win the primary. Are you going to support her in the general election, or are you supporting Nelson?

[JohnnyZ]

Are you going to support her in the general election, or are you supporting Nelson?

I'll support the Republican nominee. But if it's Harris, I advise no one to waste money contributing to her -- give it to a candidate who isn't bent on self-destruction.

[NautiNurse]

Either your copy/paste function is impaired, or you are deliberately attempting to mislead by omitting the 40% undecided in the Nelson survey response.

[DustyMoment]

Better to have a blank slate like McBride who would get a lot of free positive publicity pulling off an upset than a Typhoid Mary like Katherine Harris, who is only becoming MORE unpopular.

Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton
Mel Martinez

This is what you get when you have political unknowns or, as you call them, "blank slates". You may hate Kathryn Harris for enforcing Florida law during the 2000 election, but Kathryn Harris is a known entity and, as the saying goes, "better the devil you know, than the one you don't".

As far as the publicity goes, if KH manages to defeat Nelson, the toxic publicity from the apoplectic MSM will be worth it. You wanna see unhinged?? I'd LOVE to see that happen! Howard Dean would REALLY have a reason to scream, then.

[JohnnyZ]

or you are deliberately attempting to mislead by omitting the 40% undecided in the Nelson survey response

That's just stupid. Gotta add up to 100 doesn't it? The keys I look at in favorable-un are % favorable and ratio. Nelson is over 4:1, which is great. He's at 49%, which is good. Harris is, I'm sure, majority unfavorable, which is absolutely terrible.

[JohnnyZ]

This is what you get when you have political unknowns or, as you call them, "blank slates".

For one thing, Bill Clinton was not unknown.

For another, you don't understand me.

Being unknown to the general public is not the same as having no track record. A longtime state legislator with a massive public record is likely to be unknown to the general public.

McBride is apparently well known in political circles, and no one has even doubted his conservative bona fides on abortion, etc, only really immigration as far as I know.

I'd much, much rather have McBride as the nominee and risk him turning out to be only 90% conservative, than have a massively unpopular nominee like Harris (who isn't 100% conservative herself, by the way) continue her meltdown and give Nelson a free pass to a reelection landslide.

[NautiNurse]

That's just stupid. Gotta add up to 100 doesn't it?

Calling me stupid further adds to your lengthy list of asinine comments. There was no reason for you to omit the significant 40% undecided response for an incumbent senator other than to suit your agenda. Your methods are as transparent as the MSM regulars.

[JohnnyZ]

Yo ..... ease off on the espresso there, sweetheart, it's got you spooked!