Election 2004

Gallagher third in Senate race, his poll shows

The wealthy candidate gains much ground, but the favorite continues to be Bill McCollum.

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published July 13, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - Doug Gallagher, who hopes to ride his own wealth and an outsider's image to the U.S. Senate, has a new poll showing him surging to third place in an eight-person Republican primary.

The poll finds former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum still the favorite, but not by much, with the support of 23 percent of Republican voters. Former U.S. housing secretary Mel Martinez is second with 19 percent, and Gallagher is third at 15 percent. Five other candidates are in single digits, and the remaining 31 percent are undecided.

The nomination will be settled in a statewide primary election Aug. 31, seven weeks from today.

The telephone survey of 600 likely primary voters was conducted a week ago and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

McCollum's spokeswoman, Shannon Gravitte, said the survey shows McCollum remains "the most well-known, well-liked, well-positioned candidate," with a favorable-to-unfavorable rating of 48 percent to 6 percent.

Martinez noted that he, too, is gaining ground in Gallagher's poll. "I don't find it particularly surprising, given where the race is. It is still shaping," Martinez said.

Gallagher, a 55-year-old computer software executive from Coral Gables, claims he's worth more than $50-million. He has put $2.6-million of his own money in his first statewide race and was the first candidate to launch a statewide TV ad campaign.

He's the younger brother of Tom Gallagher, Florida's chief financial officer.

Martinez announced some good news of his own Monday. Three former heads of the Republican Party of Florida - Al Cardenas, Van Poole and Tom Slade - endorsed Martinez. All three called him the most electable Republican on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, because of an ability to appeal to Democrats and independents. They also said he can galvanize more Hispanics to support the president's re-election.

Other Republicans seeking the nomination are House Speaker Johnnie Byrd of Plant City; Larry Klayman, a Miami lawyer; St. Petersburg lawyer Sonya March; Karen Saull, a Vero Beach entrepreneur; and Billy Kogut, an Ormond Beach real estate broker.

Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination are Betty Castor, former president of the University of South Florida and former state education commissioner; U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, D-Hollywood; Alex Penelas, Miami-Dade County mayor; and Bernard Klein, a Hollywood real estate broker.

[Last modified July 12, 2004, 23:51:21]