Florida House Speaker Allan Bense has announced he will not oppose Katherine Harris for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate despite getting support from Governor Jeb Bush and several other top Republicans in the state.
Earlier this week, Governor Bush personally asked Bense to run and publicly announced that Harris had no chance of beating incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson.
'I have been extremely honored and humbled by the strong support and encouragement I have received from my family, my friends and from people across Florida who I admire greatly,' Bense said in a statement. 'However, I have decided not to run for the United States Senate.'
The reason, according to Bense, was a desire to stay close to his home and family. He said he had to answer 'the fundamental question of whether I was willing to spend the next six, 12 or possibly 18 years of my life away from my family and my home serving Florida in the U.S. Senate. After much thought and prayer, I realized the answer to that question is 'no.''
Harris has been a controversial figure since her role in the 2000 presidential election. As secretary of state, she certified George W. Bush's 'win' of Florida's electoral votes despite controversies surrounding vote counting. As a result, she has received strong support among many Republicans but strong opposition from Democrats.
Since the beginning of her campaign, Harris has had trouble with a high staff turnover. She is rapidly earning a reputation for being difficult to work for.
Harris also recently accepted $32,000 in campaign contributions from defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty to bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham.
Clearly, Harris faces an uphill battle in her campaign for the U.S. Senate. Other Republicans have until this Friday to declare their candidacy if they hope to run against Harris. It remains to be seen if anybody will accept the challenge.
