Amiable Democrats save opening barbs for GOP

The three candidates for governor introduce themselves to voters during their first joint appearance.

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published June 12, 2005

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Together for the first time Saturday, three little-known Democrats running for governor of Florida politely tested themes that each man hopes will catapult him to prominence in 2006.

"This election for governor starts today in this room," U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa told the crowd.

At the outset, it didn't look that way. Davis, former state party chairman Scott Maddox of Tallahassee and state Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua did not lay a glove on each other as they sat shoulder to shoulder on stage. Nor did they mention the leading Republican candidates, Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher.

Instead, the Democrats aimed their one-liners at Gov. Jeb Bush, the Republican-controlled Legislature, President Bush and Congress. They spoke in favor of the class size amendment, higher school spending, and against the FCAT and legislative involvement in the Terri Schiavo case.

The setting for the first joint appearance was a gathering of about 150 leaders of the Young Democrats, a lunchtime warmup act before the Florida Democrats' annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. They met in the Westin Diplomat Resort overlooking the Atlantic, a safe distance from Tropical Storm Arlene.

Because Jeb Bush is barred by Florida's Constitution from seeking another term, Democrats think they have a fighting chance of regaining the state's most powerful office in 2006. Their challenge is whether they can coalesce behind a candidate not yet familiar to most Democrats in the state.

Each man sought to connect with a crowd of strangers while making the case for why he's the best qualified to hold the state's most powerful office.

Davis, 47, presented himself as an experienced legislator and a father of two teenage boys. Maddox cast himself as a proven executive as a two-term Tallahassee mayor who built alliances as president of the Florida League of Cities. Smith offered credentials as a prosecutor and North Florida senator who has won in rural conservative counties where Democrats often find their message unwelcome.

The forum got off to a shaky start after two of the three missed their cues and failed to appear when introduced. Amid the shuffling of feet and clattering of dishes, Maddox and then Davis got to the stage. Filling dead time, a speaker read Davis' biography - twice.

Only Davis talked about state tax policies that he claimed are "giving away the farm" to private corporations. He emphasized his opposition to school vouchers, offshore drilling and Congress' efforts to prolong Schiavo's life.

"I stood up to Tom DeLay and the brothers Bush," Davis said to applause.

Smith also said the Republicans' handling of the Schiavo case will have bad repercussions for the GOP next year. "They have driven a wedge that they are not going to get away with," said Smith, who took credit for a bipartisan state Senate decision to block a Schiavo bill.

Smith, 55, stressed his ability to forge coalitions in a Republican-controlled Senate, such as his opposition to state legislation in the Schiavo matter and Gov. Bush's proposal to link higher teacher salaries to an easing of class-size goals. He also said scholarship programs at Florida's universities should emphasize financial need as well as grades.

Maddox, at 37 the youngest Democrat in the race, tried to market his youth as an asset by noting that he is the only candidate still eligible to join the Young Democrats, an under-40 organization.

Maddox's knack for connecting with an audience was evident in response to a question about support for what one questioner termed "women's issues."

Davis and Smith touched on child care and domestic violence. When it was his turn, Maddox said, "I'll be prochoice all the time." He then promised to work for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Florida, points that won him applause.

Florida Democrats are struggling to rebuild and become relevant again after a long string of morale-crushing defeats that began with the GOP's takeover of the state House in 1996 and continued with Jeb Bush's election in '98 and his brother's 537-vote victory in the disputed presidential election in 2000. More losses followed in 2002 and last year, the Senate seat long held by the iconic Bob Graham shifted to Republican control when Mel Martinez was elected.

Along the way, Democrats lost every statewide elected Cabinet office, too, and the downward slide has taken a heavy toll on the party's fundraising ability, which in turn has made it much harder for Democrats to go toe to toe with Republicans.

Outside the hall, all three candidates had tables filled with brochures, buttons and other material. But most activists remain uncommitted and were not advertising their loyal support for any candidate.

Carole Wanta, a mother and teacher in Sarasota, said she found good qualities in all three Democrats. But she wasn't ready to swear allegiance to any of them.

"I need a candidate - and I'm not going to say which one - but I need one of the three candidates who can bring this state together," Wanta said. "They will have to be able to work bipartisan because there's a strong Republican presence in Florida. We can't deny that. They have got to be able to work across party lines and bring these people together."

Davis, the only candidate who appeared without a necktie, worked the room afterward and said he was "just getting started."

"A lot of people are trying to figure out what's inside of me," Davis said. "What are my values? What do I believe in? What are my priorities? So I think I'm a work in progress."

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., was the keynote speaker at the Saturday night dinner that also featured an appearance by Sen. Bill Nelson, the only remaining statewide elected Democrat in Florida.

Nelson, who is up for re-election in 2006, faces opposition from Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Sarasota.

Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 12, 2005, 00:38:17]