Reno ends truck tour, not doubts on chances

The Democratic establishment remains unconvinced of her ability to defeat Gov. Jeb Bush.

By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 13, 2002

KENDALL -- With 3,071 fresh miles on her pickup and a smile more confident than ever, Janet Reno finished her drive through Florida on Tuesday hoping she displayed the energy and charisma to make her the only Democrat capable of tackling Jeb Bush.

For Reno, the "Red Truck Tour" ended weeks of bad headlines. It did not, however, entirely eliminate doubts.

Some 200 supporters cheered shortly before sunset as Reno steered her 1999 Ford Ranger to her rustic cypress and brick home in this Miami suburb.

"I have met so many wonderful people, but I look out at the people on this lawn and think, 'Wow,"' she told the diverse crowd. "You give me the fuel, you give me the courage, you give me the strength to move on to address the issues of Florida that are so important."

The rally capped a quirky and often nostalgic statewide tour that took the former U.S. attorney general through a patchwork of Florida scenes: touring old courthouses and walking a bleach-white beach in the conservative Panhandle; shaking hands with star-struck tourists at Cypress Gardens; boating on Lake Okeechobee; and pressing the flesh in South Florida's hardest of hardcore Democratic communities.

She repeatedly emphasized her Florida roots, recalling Lake Okeechobee before pollution or Marco Island before it was developed.

"We can do so much if we bring Florida together, if we become a state that is one in hope, one in inspiration -- and yet unique in all its different parts that make this state so great," she said.

Reno set out Feb. 26 from the Alabama border as the Democratic front-runner who still had plenty to prove. The Democratic establishment remains openly skeptical of her ability to beat Bush, who is seeking to become the first Republican re-elected governor of Florida.

A well-publicized fainting spell in January heightened concerns about Reno's health and Parkinson's disease. Tampa lawyer Bill McBride, a long shot for the Democratic nomination, was gaining momentum with key labor endorsements.

But the "Red Truck Tour" showed that Reno, 63, has loads of energy and celebrity status. She got the kind of media attention her little-known Democratic challengers can only dream of. Everywhere, she prompted giddy grins and autograph requests.

But the 15-day tour also raised questions, from voters about her health and from reporters about her campaign organization. Her staff often couldn't say what was happening a day in advance and sometimes could muster only modest crowds.

On Friday, Reno stopped at the massive Century Village condo complex in Deerfield Beach, a legendary bastion of liberal, elderly Democrats. The Reno campaign said it was off limits to reporters, but community leaders welcomed reporters and said glowing things about Reno.

"This is Reno country," said Amadeo "Trinchi" Trinchitella, a political powerhouse in Broward County.

Trinchitella, 84, is Florida's most renowned "condo commando" and without breaking a sweat can muster a crowd of hundreds for a big-name Democrat. But the Reno campaign contacted him only a few days in advance, so Reno wound up chatting with about 20 members of the community's recreation committee.

Still, most of them gushed over Reno, just as voters did throughout southeast Florida.

At retirement homes, residents spoke of an inspiring hero. At Sawgrass Mills mall in Broward, she was mobbed wandering among the upscale shops.

"I like that she's a very strong person and seems to carry out her convictions," said Nancy Allen of Sunrise.

Southeast Florida provides about 40 percent of the Democratic primary vote, and Reno's strength makes many activists think she has the nomination already locked up despite McBride's labor endorsements and fundraising lead.

Reno's issues -- more money for schools, better health care, greater environmental protection -- are much like the other Democrats. But none have her household name.

Polls show her more than 40 percent ahead of Democrats McBride, state House Minority Leader Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach and state Sen. Daryl Jones of Miami. It was hard to find average voters who could name any of her opponents.

For Reno, the truck tour ended weeks of bad headlines. It did not eliminate doubts.

"I don't know that her truck tour proved anything to the average voter throughout Florida. McBride, I think, is showing real momentum," said Maureen Dinnen, president of the 122,000-member Florida Education Association, which backs McBride largely because of doubts over Reno's electability.

At Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House restaurant in Boca Raton, self-described "hard-core Democrat" Elayne Brown hadn't heard of McBride but shook her head when asked about Reno.

"I'm very, very surprised she's running," she said. "We've had family members with Parkinson's, and I think it will only get worse. Plus, down in Miami, they think she's a female impersonation of the devil. Janet Reno's only detracting from other people who might beat Jeb."

Reno, her hands firmly and defiantly on her hips, acknowledged that sentiment to a rally of 300 in Lake Worth in Palm Beach County.

"People say, 'Janet, can you really get elected?' You bet I can," she said. "Florida knows just how precious one vote can be. Florida knows just what one person can do when they're given just half a fighting chance."

-- Staff writer Wes Allison contributed to this report.

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