http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060313/ap_on_...HNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Rep. Harris May Bow Out of Senate Race

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer
Mon Mar 13, 6:25 PM ET

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record) is under mounting pressure from Republicans to abandon her bid for the U.S. Senate and is expected to announce her plans later this week.

GOP leaders have urged Harris to get out of the race, saying she cannot win and that her role as Florida's secretary of state during the 2000 presidential recount could drive Democrats and independents to the polls in droves.

Harris canceled a trip to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference last weekend and said she would soon end the speculation about her campaign. There were no details available Monday about the timing of the announcement. Her campaign staff declined to comment, and even those close to her were unsure whether she would remain in the race.

The lack of party support for Harris' challenge to Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson led to lower-than-expected campaign contributions. She has struggled to gain ground in polls and began the year trailing Nelson in fundraising, $8 million to $1 million.

Her campaign has had difficulties since she entered the race last summer. GOP leaders in Washington sought a primary opponent for her, believing her role in securing President Bush's 537-vote victory would galvanize Democrats and independents against her.

Her campaign became more difficult after a defense contractor involved in a bribery scandal said he also gave Harris illegal campaign contributions.

Mitchell Wade, the former president of MZM Inc., admitted making $32,000 in illegal contributions to Harris' 2004 campaign for the House. Wade also pleaded guilty to bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who was sent to prison earlier this month for bribery.

Harris said she did not knowingly do anything illegal and said she would donate the money to charity.

I went to the Harris for Senate webpage (after steeling myself) just to see what was goin' on there. Not much! Their news page doesn't have any news releases since Feb. 20, over 3 weeks ago! Let me quote from that last article, "Harris 'Grassfire' Hits County", St. Pete Times, because it's such a hoot:

HARRIS pulled up to the Palace Grand on U.S. 19 shortly before 7 p.m., clutching speech notes she had scribbled during the drive. "The purpose of this tour is to light a grass fire of support throughout the state," she said, before her advance staff whisked her upstairs to a freshly steamed suit that waited for her third change of the day. :puffgrl:

Less than half an hour later, HARRIS descended from the bridal suite in a glass elevator to the applause of more than 200 supporters. "I've never had such a glorious entrance as that elevator," she said later. :wtf:

The $45-a-plate event and a raffle helped raise $10,000 for the county's Republicans ... Raffle prizes included Conair Body Benefits Thermal Spa, a bottle of Absolut raspberry vodka and a volume of the collected congressional tributes to the late former President Ronald Reagan ... :alien:

The Sarasota Republican is perhaps best known for her role in helping secure the state's election of George W. Bush in the contentious 2000 presidential race, when she was Florida's secretary of state. She parlayed her notoriety into her first winning congressional bid in 2002.

Despite her national media profile, her Senate campaign has struggled since she announced her candidacy last summer. HARRIS's campaign fundraising lags behind incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, the last Democrat elected to statewide office. She has consistently trailed Nelson in the polls. :clap:

In addition, HARRIS, 49, has battled belated and lukewarm support from the GOP powerful, while Nelson enjoys the support of his party's headliners, including former Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York.
:lol:

Grassfire of support? :?: I guess when you have no grass roots support, you have no choice but to set fire to your campaign. It's certainly a delightful schadenfreude moment (German: pleasure in the misfortune of another) to watch her burn down... although I prefer the image of water, as with the Wicked Witch ("I'm melting, I'm melting...!")

Well, I heard earlier today on CNN, the wicked witch is going to stay in the race. Maybe it's rigged for the witch. I know, a horrible thought. :bad:

Yes, AGIML, you're right. Ding, Dong, the Wicked Witch is gonna spend $10 million of her own family's money to stay in the race:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060316/ap_on_...jRtBHNlYwMxNjk5

Harris to Stay in Race for Senate Seat
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris :alien: plans to spend $10 million she inherited from her father in her race to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, she announced Wednesday night.

Harris ended speculation that she would quit the race on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes." Rumors swirled that she would withdraw after her name was associated with a defense contractor who bribed another congressman.

"I'm staying. I'm in this race. I'm going to win," she said. "I'm going to put everything on the line."

Her father, wealthy banker George Harris, died in January. After the funeral she dedicated her campaign to him.

"When I lost him, I said I would win this for my father," she said.

State Republican Party Chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan said she supports Harris' decision.

"It's an investment in our state, it's an investment in our values, it's an investment in what she believes and what her dad believed and what her granddad believed in," Jordan said.

Harris has been under mounting pressure from some Republicans to get out of the race because of concerns that she cannot win and that her role as Florida's secretary of state during the 2000 presidential recount could drive Democrats and independents to the polls in droves.

A University of North Florida poll released hours before her television appearance showed Harris 20 percentage points behind Nelson, 48 percent to 28 percent. The statewide poll of 591 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

Her campaign has had difficulties since last summer. GOP leaders in Washington sought a primary opponent for her, believing her role in securing President Bush's 537-vote victory would galvanize Democrats and independents against her.

Harris' decision at least temporarily puts her on even financial ground with Nelson, who began the year with $8 million in his campaign account compared to Harris' $1 million.

Her campaign became more difficult after a defense contractor involved in a bribery scandal said he also gave Harris illegal campaign contributions.

Mitchell Wade, the former president of MZM Inc., admitted making $32,000 in illegal contributions to Harris' 2004 campaign for the House. Wade also pleaded guilty to bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who was sent to prison earlier this month for bribery.

Harris said she did not knowingly do anything illegal and said she would donate the money to charity.

Dan McLaughlin, a spokesman for Nelson, said Harris' decision was "just a desperate attempt to deflect attention from a career of blunders and failures."

Harris' plans to write herself a check says she doesn't have support from her own leaders, let alone Floridians, said state Democratic Party Chairman Karen Thurman.

"After some of these scandalous campaign contributions, maybe she's better off paying for her unbridled ambitions," Thurman said.

:wacko: :lol: