They back the president's course in Iraq and the fight against terrorism in a debate marked by little dissension.
By Associated Press
Published May 27, 2004
NAPLES - Seven Florida Republicans dueling for speaking time in a late Wednesday debate in the campaign for an open Senate seat unified on one topic: supporting President Bush in the war on terrorism.
The field of Republicans, seeking the seat of retiring Democrat Bob Graham, offered no sharp exchanges and little distinctions on policy during the televised forum at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples.
Limited to one-minute responses to submitted questions, many of the candidates said they would work to help the president stay the course in Iraq, maintain the nation's promise to seniors on entitlement programs and make the nation less dependent on foreign oil.
"You can count on me in the U.S. Senate to be a steadfast ally of our president as it relates to issues of freedom," said former U.S. Housing Secretary Mel Martinez, who frequently highlighted his friendship with the president.
On a day when U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced new terror threats, the candidates said they were in firm support of Bush's war against terrorism and promised to support a long-term effort to rid the world of threats.
"It will not be easy, it will not be short but it is a war that we must win," said former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum, who endorsed retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Porter Goss of Sanibel to become the director of the Central Intelligence Agency in a new Bush administration.
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd noted his close alignment with the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, and their work to foster economic development and lower taxes.
"Our politicians in Washington have been, and are, spending our dollars like crazy and we can't afford it," Byrd said.
The candidates were adamant in their opposition to drilling for oil off the Gulf Coast, a hot-button issue throughout the state's west coast. But many said the United States needed to develop a stronger energy policy while holding foreign oil-producing nations more accountable.
"We are too easy on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the primary violator," said attorney Larry Klayman. "It's time we took them to the woodshed and made sure that they not withhold production and allow the oil to flow."
Several candidates said they opposed granting amnesty to 7-million illegal immigrants. "It will destroy our country if it is not handled properly," said businessman Doug Gallagher.
The event offered a visible dividing line between the three candidates who have previously held elected office - Martinez, McCollum, and Byrd - and the four without previous elected experience - Klayman, Gallagher, former fighter pilot Sonya March and businessman Billy Kogut. The four newcomers portrayed themselves as outsiders not beholden to the Washington establishment.
"If our Founding Fathers were career politicians, we'd still be singing God Save the Queen," Kogut quipped.
March told the audience about her experience as a Gulf War veteran and an Air Force fighter pilot, but also showed the fledgling nature of her candidacy. When the field was asked about the source of her campaign funding, she said: "Myself, my sister, my family and my friends."
Three Democrats are seeking the party's nomination: Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch and former state Education Commissioner Betty Castor.
