GOP Calls for Rally behind Katherine Harris

Katherine Harris started her campaign with little support from her party. Republicans feared that she would act as a lightning rod for Democrats to get behind incumbant Bill Nelson. There is doubt that she can beat him. Her role in the Presidential recount as Secretary of State is notorius among Democrats.

Her fundraising abilities and wide name recognition have deterred other Republicans from entering against her. However, the big money is yet to come as donors have waited to see if someone else files their candidacy.

On Saturday top Republicans including Governor Jeb Bush backed Harris for the position. They called for the rest of the party to follow suit. Complete party unity in this campaign is unlikely though most of the party will be behind her. It will start slowly but reach full speed in plenty of time to make this a close race.

Nelson won his last election with only 51% of the vote. His Senate seat is one of the most vulnerable for the Democrats. Current polls and media articles claim that he holds a large lead over her. I expect that number to diminish between now and the May primary. After May the campaigning will go into overdrive.

The candidates are fairly even in capabilities for winning the seat. Nelson doesn't have an overwhelming base, but the base he has will be loyal. Harris has a larger base but her negatives could cause a split in votes.

I don't know who really has the advantage at this point. I'll have a better idea by the end of May and will give an update on this race at that time. The only thing I know is that Florida will have some contentious races this year.