Katherine Harris Senate campaign stumbles to finish line

Katherine Harris Senate campaign stumbles to finish line

By LARRY WHEELER, Gannett News Service

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Unconventional is one way to describe the troubled Senate campaign of Republican Katherine Harris.

Florida editorial page writers went with "bizarre" and "freak show."

Harris' bid to unseat Bill Nelson, a moderate Democrat, is one of the more entertaining political sideshows of the midterm election, even if it isn't a factor in the high-stakes struggle for control of Congress.

Harris was Florida's top election official six years ago when she gained national attention by certifying George W. Bush the winner in the state's contested presidential election.

Rep. Katherine Harris

She was hailed by GOP voters, assailed by Democrats and savaged by late night TV comics and Internet bloggers.

Now a two-term congresswoman representing Sarasota, Fla., Harris is stumbling toward the finish line of a Senate campaign marred by controversy and indifference from her own party.

"Not only doesn't she have any crossover appeal to Democrats and independents, she's having a hard time keeping Republicans on the reservation," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc.

Republican Party leaders - including Gov. Jeb Bush - initially opposed Harris' candidacy because she's such a polarizing figure.

Her campaign has suffered multiple staff defections, including that of a top GOP strategist, Ed Rollins, who suggested in interviews that Harris has mental health issues.

The Justice Department launched an investigation into Harris' dealings with a lobbyist who pleaded guilty in a congressional corruption probe.

In August, Harris tried to explain paltry turnout at a major campaign rally by claiming a tree had fallen on an airplane hangar, forcing a last-minute change of venue. Orlando Executive Airport officials said no such incident occurred. Harris ultimately blamed a staffer for providing inaccurate information.

Finally, Harris angered Jews and other people of faith when she told an evangelical magazine that voters were "legislating sin" if they didn't elect Christians to public office.

Through it all, Harris, 49, has maintained a seemingly inexplicable optimism.

"The grass roots have been with us, and we think, come Nov. 7, God willing, we'll be the next senator," Harris said, using the royal "we," after speaking to the Florida Farm Bureau.

That optimism is almost certainly misplaced. Nelson enjoyed a 26 percentage-point advantage in the most recent public opinion survey by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc.

A wealthy born-again Christian, Harris has been so busy bashing Nelson as a tax-and-spend liberal that she's had little time to explore her positions on issues, beyond reciting the Republican orthodoxy: lower taxes, stronger national security and traditional values.

Nelson, a former House member who rode aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1986, has positioned himself as a moderate who can work with Republicans to get things done for Florida. He rarely mentions Harris directly on the campaign trail.

Perhaps most troubling for Harris, just 58 percent of Republican voters supported her, according to the mid-October poll.

"Even in hard times, most Republican candidates generate 80 percent to 85 percent support, at a minimum, with their party base," said Coker at Mason-Dixon.

Harris blames her troubles on disloyal staff members and reporters who she says take her comments out of context while fixating on her makeup instead of her record.

"It goes with the territory," she said.

Despite her troubles, Harris enjoys support from many rank-and-file Republicans who share her views.

"I take offense to people remarking to nonessential things like they didn't like her makeup," said Carol LaPlaca, a resident of the Century Village retirement home in West Palm Beach. "Let's talk about her views. Yes, she stands on very high moral views. I'll vote for her."

Contact Larry Wheeler at lwheeler@gns.gannett.com

The Katherine Harris file

Name: Katherine Harris

Age: 49

Occupation: Member, U.S. House

Residence: Sarasota, Fla.

Family: Husband, Anders Ebbeson

Education: B.A., Agnes Scott College, 1979; Masters in Public Administration, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, 1996.

Previous political/elected office experience: Florida Senate, 1994-98; Florida secretary of state, 1998-2002; U.S. House of Representatives, 2000 to present.

Harris quotes from the campaign trail

"If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure ... then in essence you are going to legislate sin." - Aug. 24 interview with Florida Baptist Witness newspaper.

"If a man had followed the law in the exact same way I had (during the 2000 presidential vote recount in Florida), they would hardly have been discussing their clothes or their makeup. The men during the recount that were going on TV had on far more makeup than I have ever thought about wearing." - Oct. 12 interview with Gannett News Service

"If anything, the Republicans didn't know about these issues (Former Rep. Mark Foley's Internet messages to congressional pages) and we're going to be very anxious to find out who in the media and on the other side of the aisle knew about it and kept this from the public interest, because our children were at stake." - Oct. 2 interview with WESH-TV in Orlando

"We've had a real issue among Christian circles who think there is a separation of church and state and they shouldn't be involved. My comments are directed for civic engagement. Everybody should be involved. Everyone who is a citizen should run for office if they so wish." - Oct. 11 interview with Gannett News Service

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