July 24, 2001

5:03 PM

Quid pro quoanyone? Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who was at the center of Florida's disputed presidential election last year, will run for Congress in 2002, a top Republican official said Tuesday.
posted by dchase (16 comments total)

She certainly will have the votes of many in Florida who view her as knowing how to work the system. She should do well in Congress. With the other miscreants.
posted by Postroad at 5:07 PM on July 24, 2001

Actually, I hope she does run... I'll bet we can't even imagine all the slime the "liberal media" (yes, we'll be back to that tired old phrase...) will be digging up on the Dragon Lady of the Southeast.
posted by m.polo at 5:12 PM on July 24, 2001

And by slime, you would be refering to her mascarra?
posted by Ptrin at 5:21 PM on July 24, 2001

My prayers are that the cosmetic industry does not have strong lobbying power or deep donation pockets... Seriously though, Democratic "get out the vote" efforts should make this a non-starter. People that never gave a damn about voting will suddenly come out of the woodwork as disenfranchised.
posted by machaus at 5:22 PM on July 24, 2001

Consider yourself anachronistic : )
posted by Ptrin at 5:24 PM on July 24, 2001

And by slime, you would be refering to her mascarra?

possibly.
posted by quonsar at 5:38 PM on July 24, 2001

Where is the Quid pro quo? Enlighten me...
posted by revbrian at 6:58 PM on July 24, 2001

redistricting for a chance to get that seat seems the first "smoking gun".
posted by clavdivs at 7:03 PM on July 24, 2001

She did her best to violate the trust of those who elected her, and now those who elected her will violate her trust by never voting for her again.

But i don't think that's the quid pro quo you were refering to.
posted by Ptrin at 7:05 PM on July 24, 2001

Even I don't see a quid pro quo, and I'm a friggin' lefty lunatic. Maybe caveat emptor, but no quid pro quo. All right, it's a stretch.
posted by jpoulos at 7:23 PM on July 24, 2001

[redistricting for a chance to get that seat seems the first "smoking gun"]

Redistricting to favor the party in power happens on both sides routinely. It's so prevalent it isn't worth mentioning.
posted by revbrian at 7:40 PM on July 24, 2001

quid pro quo? Maybe its in the promise of other Republican candidates refraining from running?

Is there anyone who doesn't think Florida is an embarrassment to the Union?
posted by ParisParamus at 7:53 PM on July 24, 2001

In return for helping the party get their man in office, the party will wholeheartedly support her campaign and utilize all available resources and tactics to help get her elected, rallying around her and devoting a disproportionate amount of resources to her aid compared to other party members running for Congress.

She helps the party. The party, in return, helps her and her career.

I believe that's what dchase was referring to. I'm not saying he's right or wrong. Just trying to enlighten the befuddled.
posted by drywall at 8:04 PM on July 24, 2001

Hey even if its a quid pro quo I like it...

Although this is a Republican district, the choice of Harris means that Democrats will be more motivated than with Rep. Miller. Midterms come down to turnout and in most cases (every midterm in history except for 1934 and 1960 and 1998 - all popular Democratic Presidents) the opposition party is more motivated and gains. It may not mean Dems will win, but it will waste Republican resources on a district that should have been an easy win, resources that will be needed elsewhere.
posted by brucec at 8:41 PM on July 24, 2001

It was my understanding that it was her intention to run before the whole election fiasco. I'm not aware of anyone else who had more stature before the fiasco, and am not aware of anyone with more name recognition after it.
posted by revbrian at 10:24 PM on July 24, 2001

I assume that the Democratic candidate's campaign literature will feature as many large, full-colour pictures of Ms Harris as her own.
posted by holgate at 5:35 AM on July 25, 2001