Unhelpful Chatter

After apparently ending discussion of a possible Senate bid in August, Florida House Speaker Allan Bense has once again drawn attention to himself by refusing to say "No" to a bid against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson. This is just the latest in the continuing saga that is the Florida Senate race.

At the beginning of the cycle, Nelson looked to all the world like one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the Senate. A popular Republican Governor had been reelected easily and enjoyed extremely high popularity. The President had improved on a razor thin margin to win with some wiggle room. Mel Martinez captured the open Senate seat after a late entry. Even if the GOP were faced with a spirited primary, it seemed as though unity thereafter could send Nelson into retirement.

Enter Rep. Katherine Harris. Exit GOP establishment.

Harris announced her candidacy in July, and the Republican establishment immediately set about undermining her candidacy. It is fair enough for a party to attempt to put forward its best candidate, but it is quite another thing to eat your own. Harris is so far the only Republican to show any interest in the seat of her own volition. The Bush's and Sen. Dole have been working since to find somebody -- anybody -- else to challenge Harris in the primary. In the meantime, several establishment figures, most notably Brian Nick of the NRSC, have publicly complained, criticized, and undermined her candidacy. All of this has led to a weakened frontrunner and no challenger.

Katherin Harris managed to clear her own field for one simple reason: she is popular with the people who win elections. She had demonstrated exceptional fundraising ability, both for herself and for others in the Party. She had proved an effective campaigner, winning her initial campaign as an underdog and then, in spite of reports to the contrary, has closely mirrored the President's performance in her Congressional district. Finally, she motivates the base, the people who actually determine elections, especially mid-term elections.

In the beginning, there could have been plenty of discussion as to who would have been the best Republican nominee. Now, it is clear that any other Republican would have been dragged into the race kicking and screaming. The current division is extremely destructive to the Party. This is unfortunately reflective of the larger, even more disturbing picture, where the conservative base is shunned and Republican liberalism is prized. Those involved in candidate recruitment continue to attempt to please those whom they will never please at the expense of motivating those with whom they should be fighting arm-in-arm. Perhaps Rep. Harris would be faring better in polls if the NRSC had spent more money attacking Sen. Bill Nelson than Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey.

It is time for these games to end. The election is less than a year away, and every day that we go without uniting behind a candidate is money, time, and effort lost. Once we unite behind Harris, she will have several fundraising doors opened and she will be able to mount a credible campaign. Will she win? That remains to be seen, but it is abundantly clear that any primary challenger emerging now will severely, perhaps permanently, divide the Florida Republican Party and cost us any chance of defeating the vulnerable incumbent.