Kerry offices to open in Florida

As a new poll shows a dead-heat presidential race in Florida, John Kerry's campaign is about to set up its state headquarters in Fort Lauderdale.

With much of the presidential campaign battle to be waged along Central Florida's swing voter swath, "larger than usual" satellite offices are also planned in Tampa Bay and Orlando, as well as smaller ones scattered across the state.

While the Bush-Cheney campaign opened its Tallahassee headquarters nearly nine months ago, Kerry's Florida campaign manager, Tom Shea, said Kerry's operation is kicking into gear months earlier than Al Gore's in 2000.

"The energy level and enthusiasm level among the activist base is like nothing I've ever seen in my life," said Shea, who started working in Florida about 10 days ago.

An American Research Group poll released Thursday showed 47 percent of likely voters surveyed backing Kerry, 46 percent Bush and 2 percent supporting independent candidate Ralph Nader. The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted Monday through Wednesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Kerry's headquarters in the heart of Florida's Democratic strongholds should open within a few days, Shea said, while satellite offices start opening in about a month. The campaign has had a dozen field staffers working in Florida for more than a month, and senior staffers are expected to be on board within a week.

Shea, former chief of staff to New Jersey Sen. Jon Corzine, would not discuss hiring. But Democratic strategists say top prospects for senior positions include Tasha Cole, an aide to U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, as field director and Matt Miller as communications director. Miller currently works as a spokesman in Florida for the Democratic National Committee. Other staffers, including a communications person targeting Hispanic media, will be added soon.

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