The retired general will have to compete with Democratic candidates who already have made inroads in Florida.
By ADAM C. SMITH
Published September 18, 2003
TAMPA - Chris Ford went to a couple of grass roots meetings for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's presidential campaign before he took stock.
"I felt as if going to Dean was based on my anger against George Bush, rather than being for someone," said Ford, a 28-year-old law school graduate from Tampa who worked in Ohio for Al Gore in 2000. "Then Wesley Clark came along, and I felt I could be for someone."
For months, Ford has been wearing a Wesley Clark for President button on his shirt. He showed up at Democratic gatherings to talk up the former general and work the phones to coordinate a growing grass roots organization for Clark in the Tampa Bay area.
On Wednesday, Ford and other Clark supporters saw their dream candidate become an actual candidate.
With four months before the Democratic primary voting starts, they are banking that a newcomer with a four-star resume can surge ahead of nine other Democrats who have been campaigning for a year or more. They can't say where Clark stands on many specific issues, but Democrats and some Republicans see a winner who can beat President Bush.
"There are people all over this state who are disenchanted with the nine Democratic stooges and with the action figure president," said Mike Higgins, a retired electrician in Clearwater who had pledged $50 to the Clark campaign before he became an official candidate.
"To me, it's a question of what kind of candidate can you put in the field who's got a good shot at picking up enough Democrats, enough NRA moderates and enough Republicans who will salute any time they see someone in a military uniform," said Higgins, a one-time Ross Perot supporter.
Florida has a native in the race for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bob Graham. Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and John Kerry of Massachusetts have made significant inroads. Clark has little establishment backing in the state and no signs of an organized fundraising network.
Florida Democratic Party chairman Scott Maddox said Clark is an appealing candidate but will have an "uphill road" in the state because he is starting late.
But much like Dean, Clark has grass roots supporters working overtime on the Internet.
Well before party officials knew a thing about it, volunteer Clark supporters were buzzing Wednesday about the retired general's plans to visit Broward County today to greet activists who pushed hard to draft Clark as a candidate.
With a late primary in March, Florida Democrats may have little say in choosing their presidential nominee. But in a state where moderate swing voters can decide elections and nearly 2-million veterans reside, some observers say Clark has the potential to capture what Bush adviser Karl Rove calls "ground zero" for the 2004 election.
"He'll be a powerful candidate on the Democratic side. I'll certainly look long and hard at him," said former state Comptroller Bob Milligan, a Republican and an independent-minded former Marine general who has concerns about Bush's record but sees no other credible Democratic candidate. "In today's environment, where we are clearly in a global war against terrorism, a man with military experience brings a lot to the table."
Pinellas School Board member Linda Lerner had been leaning toward Dean but started hearing talk of Clark's possible candidacy. Then she watched him on TV and was quickly won over, particularly as he questioned whether Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat that justified war.
"I am absolutely 100 percent behind Wesley Clark," said Lerner, who expects to raise money for him. "It's his biography and all he's done in his life, coupled with his ability to answer questions directly. ... I am convinced that he can beat George Bush, and I think maybe he's the only one who can."
A Florida for Clark 2004 Web site highlights how much Clark the candidate is a work in progress. Click on "Clark on the Issues" and up pops the message: "Information coming soon."
Clark's positions are mostly sketched in broad strokes. He supports abortion rights and affirmative action. He says Bush's tax cuts favor wealthy Americans. Aaron Dickerson, a 26-year-old Tallahassee resident leading the draft Clark effort in Florida, said the growing number of Floridians enthusiastic about Clark aren't worried about his lack of specifics.
"We basically know he is a progressive Democrat. It boils down to Wesley Clark is the right man at the right time. We think this guy can win," Dickerson said this week. "Something about the current nine candidates is lacking to a lot of people."
Ford, the Tampa resident, coordinates a Gulf Coast for Clark group that will hold a rally at Ruby Tuesday on Friday night in Brandon. He said more than 400 people phoned or e-mailed him in the past week to express interest in the 10th Democratic candidate and that nearly half were Republicans or independents.
"A lot of people in Florida and around the nation feel cheated that they didn't have a chance to vote for John McCain in 2000," Ford said. "Clark is tapping a nerve about the presidency, not just party politics."
- Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com
