After moving from the center of the 2000 presidential election controversy in Florida to the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Katherine Harris says she “seriously” is considering vying for the Senate seat left wide open by the announced retirement of Democratic Sen. Bob Graham.
 Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla. |
Harris, a rising star among Republicans and a villain to Democrats, said she is weighing a tough choice for her and her family, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
“My husband and I will seriously consider this and give it some thought,” she told the paper. Yes, we will. … My whole family will.”
Harris is the author of “Center of the Storm,”, published by WND Books, which tells how she dealt with the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election and the part she played as Florida’s secretary of state. Her ruling helped bring an end to the recount, which George W. Bush won by a 537-vote margin.
The name recognition she gained during that time, along with her political and family history in Florida would make her the Republican front-runner, said Dario Moreno, political scientist at Florida International University in Miami, according to the Sentinel. But she also would be a ready target for Democrats seeking to avenge Al Gore’s loss, he added.
“In a general election, she’ll be a polarizing figure,” Moreno said. “Whether you love her or hate her, she became the symbol for the 2000 election debacle. … In a way, I think the Democrats would almost love to run against her.”
Nevertheless, Florida Democrats in 2002 were unable to oust President Bush’s brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, employing a strategy that emphasized the recount.
After her election to the House in 2002, Harris immediately was tapped by Republican leadership to serve as assistant majority whip.
The Sentinel said Harris had insisted for months she would never challenge Graham because of the long relationship of the senator’s family with her own. She is an heiress to the fortune of the late Florida citrus baron Ben Hill Griffin Jr.
Harris told the Orlando paper she was “stunned” by Graham’s announcement Monday he would not seek another term.
“It was an incredible surprise,” Harris said. “It certainly got my attention. I hadn’t put into my formulation, seriously, that he wouldn’t run.”
Since Monday, supporters have been urging her to jump into the race.
“It’s been a little overwhelming,” she told the paper. ‘We’re getting phone calls from all over the state, ringing off the hook. Everyone is telling me that I’m the only moderate, electable candidate.”
Harris’ record of support for the environment and education will have crossover appeal, analysts say. Her anti-abortion stance, however, contrasts with a potential opponent, Betty Castor of Tampa, a former commissioner of education, state university president and state senator.
The Sentinel said Castor’s campaign sent out a nationwide fund-raising appeal today to 73,000 women on Emily’s List, a political action committee supporting female candidates in favor of abortion rights.
Harris voted for the partial-birth abortion ban signed by President Bush.
A commuter each weekend from Washington to Sarasota, Fla., Harris will return home this weekend to discuss the decision with her husband, Anders Ebbeson.
“Everybody keeps telling me I need to seriously consider it,” Harris told the Sentinel. “My husband and I, we haven’t really sat down seriously and talked about it. We have to spend some time talking about where this fits in our life. … This is brand new.”
Harris, a fourth generation Floridian, is a former IBM marketing executive and vice president of a commercial real estate firm. She co-chaired President George W. Bush’s presidential campaign in Florida. Prior to her own election as secretary of state, she served in the Florida Senate for four years. A lifelong supporter of the arts, Harris earned degrees from Agnes Scott College and Harvard University. She has a 20-year-old daughter, Louise.
Related special offer: Katherine Harris’ book, “Center of the Storm,” is available from WND’s online store.
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