Big names lend key support in U.S. Senate race

By Mark Hollis
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted May 21 2004

TALLAHASSEE · Two well-known Florida political figures, Republican Katherine Harris and Democrat Bill McBride, won't be on statewide ballots this year, but they will be big influences in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race.

McBride and Harris are tapping national networks of friends and political supporters to raise money for their party's nominee for the seat held by retiring Sen. Bob Graham.

Senate Democrats in Washington have just created the Florida 2004 Senate Democratic Victory Fund, appointing Florida Sens. Graham and Bill Nelson to co-chair the effort to bring in at least $1 million to the winner of the Aug. 31 Florida primary.

McBride, the Democratic nominee in the most recent governor's race, is volunteering to be a lead organizer for the fund, his first major political commitment since Gov. Jeb Bush badly defeated him in 2002.

more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-fsenate21may21,0,3643885.story