MIAMI LAKES - Bob Graham's campaign pitch is aimed at the head, not the heart.
He's the "electable" Democrat, the centrist former Southern governor who can deliver Florida's 27 electoral votes without help from the U.S. Supreme Court. He likes to remind people that Florida, the top battleground state where he's undefeated in five statewide races, is a microcosm of America.
But Graham's pitch points to one of his biggest problems as he tries to pick up steam in the presidential primary: Many of Florida's most rabid Democrats, the sort of liberals who disproportionately influence early presidential primaries in other states, are entirely unenthusiastic about their senior senator running for president.
"Bob Graham doesn't excite anyone here in Florida - and we know him. How's he going to excite people outside of Florida?" asked Lorenzo Lebrija, a Miami money transmitter who has consistently voted for Graham but backs former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean for president.
Joan Joseph, a sought after campaign operative in Palm Beach County, can barely suppress a smile when asked about Graham running for president.
"There's his age, his health, his lack of enthusiasm while speaking. The guy's boring. I don't think Graham is the person to light the fire under Democrats," said Joseph, whose heart is with Dean but sees Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as a stronger candidate.
Lori Glasser, who coordinated Broward County volunteers for Al Gore in 2000 and is undecided this time, doubted Graham will win the Florida primary. "If people say, "What has Bob Graham done for us in Washington?' I don't think many people could give an answer," she said.
That Graham is a Florida powerhouse is unquestioned. He has kept other candidates from dipping too deeply into the state's considerable fundraising well. He is sure to have busloads of enthusiastic volunteers ready to trudge through New Hampshire snow.
Still, the sentiments of Glasser, Joseph and Lebrija are remarkably common among party activists in South Florida's Democratic strongholds. Democrats there long have been voting for Graham, but it has been 25 years since he has had a real primary challenge.
"If it were a primary for the Senate or for governor, I have no doubt Bob Graham would take Florida," said veteran Broward Democratic operative John Coleman, who heads the county's Council of Democratic Club presidents and is undecided. "But in a presidential primary, I'm not so sure. There are just so many choices."
Such tepid enthusiasm among Democratic activists who know Graham well bodes poorly for his ability to woo voters who are unfamiliar with him.
But it also highlights his recipe for success in Florida, where his party has been declining for much of his career. He has never been the candidate for activists; he's the candidate for swing voters.
Graham hasn't stroked the Democratic base in Florida; he hasn't had to for years. Unlike fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, he rarely shows up at chicken dinner banquets to schmooze local Democrats. Nor was he among those vocally defending Bill Clinton or attacking former Republican Secretary of State Katherine Harris after the 2000 election.
"Even though he's from here, a lot Democrats still see him as a North Florida cracker," Robin Rorapaugh, a top Democratic operative from Broward, said while waiting for Graham's announcement speech Tuesday in Miami Lakes.
To a large extent, Graham has succeeded in Florida because he transcended his declining party. His very personal campaign style, best defined by his Workdays, was part of it.
"By personalizing his leadership, he did little to help the party," noted University of Florida historian David Colburn. "People identified with him personally and didn't see him so much as a spokesman for his party or the leader of his party."
Now Graham is kicking off a presidential campaign with much the same strategy he used to become governor in 1978. Back then, Democratic front-runner Bob Shevin, then the state attorney general, dominated Graham's home turf in South Florida. The little-known Graham focused on the rest of the state. Against the odds, it worked.
Fast forward 25 years, and Graham's presidential campaign advisers talk of "expanding the base" and reaching out to rural voters who often vote Republican but can be easily attracted to a moderate Democratic message.
To hear some of Graham's South Florida neighbors tell it, 1978 will look like a cinch compared to this presidential race.
- Adam C. Smith can be reached at (727) 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com
