State: McBride courts South Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE -- The hot lunch and Janet Reno's endorsement were a good start, but Rovan Locke had a pointed question for Bill McBride: Where's he been the past four weeks?

"It is an important thing to get out the African-American vote," Locke told McBride after a luncheon speech at Mount Olive Baptist Church in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Locke sounded angry. "Why is it you are taking so long when you know that?"

McBride, who campaigned Monday with Reno, tried to explain without sounding apologetic. "We've been trying to raise as much money as we can," he said. "I'm trying to work as hard as I can."

He still has a lot of work to do in South Florida, a Democratic stronghold where he needs to beat Republican Gov. Jeb Bush Nov. 5.

Before the Sept. 10 primary, McBride all but surrendered the region to Reno, concentrating instead on central and northern Florida. Reno won more than twice as many votes in Broward County, and three times as many votes in Miami-Dade County. McBride won the nomination but must now beat back the perception that he's taking voters in South Florida for granted.

The 1998 governor's race underscored the importance of South Florida to Democrats. Jeb Bush topped Democrat Buddy MacKay by 19,000 votes in Miami-Dade and won nearly 40 percent of the vote in Broward.

So McBride, a Tampa lawyer, spent Monday courting the three major South Florida voting blocs: Hispanics, African-Americans and retirees.

Hispanic voters are a source of concern for McBride. A recent St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald poll found Hispanics overwhelming prefer Bush, 70 percent to 27 percent. McBride said he aims to make inroads.

McBride began Monday meeting with about 40 Hispanics at Romeu's, a Cuban cafe in southwest Broward. "Hispanic voters are concerned about the same things: better schools, better wages," he said.

It was the second day of a three-day tour of the region, McBride's first substantial campaign swing there since the primary. For many, it was their first meeting with McBride. And like Locke, many said it was overdue.

Sam Williams, a retired McDonald's franchise owner who voted for Reno, said McBride must overcome the perception that he doesn't understand social and economic issues facing African-Americans because he's a white, wealthy lawyer. But he gave McBride high marks for appearing genuine.

"The more the community gets to know him, the more I think people will warm up to him," Williams said.

That they are still warming up to McBride with 28 days before the election worries some Democrats, who say the party remains divided.

"Somehow he needs to unite the Democratic Party in South Florida," said M. Margaret Bates, deputy vice mayor of Lauderhill. "I don't know what catalyst he will use to do that."

Reno is one.

For most of this tour, Reno has been McBride's shadow. On Sunday, she escorted him to services at a half-dozen African-American churches in Miami. On Monday, she introduced him at Mount Olive, a large, predominantly black congregation.

At the Hemispheres, an oceanfront condominium in Hallandale Beach, Reno gave McBride a motherly peck on his right cheek after introducing him to about 250 people, mostly retirees. She also joined him at fundraisers in Miami Beach and Davie, each of which boosted his campaign by $100,000.

Reno said she is is dispensing advice and aid only as asked. "We've had discussions," she said. "He's doing what I think he should be doing."

But Reno was better received at most of their joint stops Sunday and Monday, and supporters questioned whether McBride can engender the passion to ensure a heavy voter turnout on Nov. 5.

Brian Dennis, president of Brothers of the Same Mind, which helps felons regain their voting rights, said many African-Americans are still smarting from the snubbing Reno got from the state Democratic Party establishment, which backed McBride. Dennis said McBride must return to South Florida often.

At several stops Monday, McBride criticized the governor for changing his position on class size: Bush recently proposed his own plan to build schools to cut class sizes.

McBride also said the governor should "reveal his true plans" for dealing with the proposed class-size amendment. Last week, Bush told several legislators he had "devious plans" if the amendment passes, and later said he didn't know a reporter had been in the room.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk