State Political Profile: Florida
Governor
After a dozen years with Republican Jeb Bush on the ballot in the governor's race, the president's brother is ineligible to seek a third straight term (he lost to Democratic incumbent Lawton Chiles in his first try in 1994) and Republicans will try to keep the seat with one of two state Cabinet members.
Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher are leaving those posts in quest of the GOP nomination in Florida's September primary.
Meanwhile, Democrats are running a pair of unknowns named Davis and Smith. State Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua and U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa, are the newcomers to statewide politics.
Based on fundraising alone, Crist would be the front-runner. He raised about $6.9 million through the reporting period that ended Jan. 10. Gallagher raised about $5.3 million while Davis reported about $1.6 million and Smith about $1.3 million. Early polls indicate close races in both primaries.
One of the candidates, Gallagher, has recast himself politically in hopes of winning the primary. He no longer embraces the moderate stances that propelled him to victory in five statewide general elections, shifting his campaign rhetoric to attract support from the hard right element of the party.
Gallagher, 61, was prominent in the political effort in the late winter of 2005 to keep Terri Schiavo alive while Crist stayed out of that fight.
Both men are have run for nearly every office available to keep alive their political fortunes through the years with the governor's office in mind. Each served as education commissioner briefly on their political climb.
Davis, 48, is the lone Florida native in the governor's race. He was the last Democratic majority leader in the state House before Republicans took control of that chamber in 1996. He was elected to Congress later than year and has the backing of former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, the party's elder statesman in Florida.
Smith, 56, a former prosecutor who convicted Gainesville student killer Danny Rolling, was elected to the Florida Senate in 2000.
U.S. Senate
Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson of Melbourne, is being challenged by Republican U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris of Sarasotathe same Katherine Harris lampooned so widely for her role as Florida's secretary of state during the 2000 presidential recount.
She's still accused of stealing that election for George W. Bush and her makeup remains the subject of late night talk show jokes. Harris recently blamed newspapers for contributing to her image problems, accusing some of doctoring photos to distort her makeup.
Republicans are unenthused about Harris' candidacy since they doubt her ability to defeat the incumbent in the general election. A recent statewide poll showed Harris trailing Nelson by 24 points, and she has had difficulty raising money and keeping campaign staff.
But the GOP's strongest potential candidate, Gov. Jeb Bush, has repeatedly said 'no' to any overtures of him seeking the nomination and a crack at Nelson.
Harris, 48, served in the state Senate from 1994-1998 before being elected secretary of state. She was elected to her second term in Congress last year.
Nelson, 63, won the seat vacated by retiring Republican Connie Mack in 2000 when he defeated Bill McCollum.
Since being elected to the Senate, Nelson has sought to keep the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy in the Jacksonville area and worked with freshman Republican Sen. Mel Martinez to try to stop oil drilling off Florida's coast and continues to be a booster of the state's role in space exploration. Opponents criticized Nelson for voting against President Bush's tax cuts and his opposition to abortion restrictions and civil lawsuit awards.
U.S. House
Three open seats will provide most of the attention in 2006, but primaries could be decisive in each case. Democrats should retain the 11th District seat that Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa is giving up to run for governor while the other two lean Republican. Thirteenth District Rep. Katherine Harris of Sarasota, is running for the U.S. Senate while Rep. Mike Bilirakis of Tarpon Springs, is retiring in the 9th District. He reaches his 75th birthday in July.
Bilirakis' son, state Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Tarpon Springs, is the front-runner for the GOP nomination to succeed his dad in the district that includes Clearwater and parts of Hillsborough County.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor of Tampa is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination to succeed Davis. She is the daughter of Betty Castor, a former Florida education commissioner, former University of South Florida president, former state legislator and Democratic candidate for U.S. senator in 2004.
The only other Florida district that could be competitive is the 22nd where Republican Rep. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale is seeking re-election against Democratic state Sen. Ron Klein of Boca Raton.
Sarasota lawyer Jan Schneider, who ran unsuccessfully twice against Harris, will make her third bid for the seat. Schneider was a Yale law school classmate of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
-- Associated Press
