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From infamous to influential

Katherine Harris learned quickly how to get things done in D.C. But moving to the Senate may take some convincing.

By ANITA KUMAR
Published January 1, 2006

	[Congressional Quarterly photo by Scott J. Ferrell]
	Rep. Katherine Harris, here testifying at a Senate hearing on border security in July, is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bill Nelson.
	[Times photo: Melissa Lyttle]
	Katherine Harris signs a copy of her book at an appearance in Brandon in August. Harris says people regularly comment on the 2000 recount to her -- and that it's always positive.
	KATHERINE HARRIS Personal: Born April 5, 1957, in Key West; lives in Longboat Key and Washington; married to Anders Ebbeson; stepdaughter, Louise, 21. Professional: U.S. House member, 2002-present; Florida secretary of state, 1998-2002; Florida senator 1994-1998, IBM marketing executive; vice president of a commercial real estate company. Education: B.A., history, Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., 1979; and master's in public administration, Harvard University, 1997. Web sites: harris.house.gov, electharris.org KEY VOTES Voted to extend the Patriot Act. Voted to approve of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Voted to amend the Constitution to prohibit flag burning. Voted to create the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Voted to ban partial-birth abortion except to save a woman's life. Voted to create a private school voucher program in Washington, D.C. Voted to cut corporate taxes $137-billion over 10 years. Voted to permit a federal court review in the Terri Schiavo case. -- Source: Library of Congress, Congressional Quarterly

WASHINGTON - Katherine Harris is not the member of Congress many thought she would be.

She befriends everyone, even Democrats. She surprises even her staff with her willingness to stay up at night reading up on issues. In just her first year, she passed legislation.

And she never tires of the 16-hour days, especially if she can find a few hours at the end to attend parties, dinners and embassy soirees.

Harris, a Longboat Key Republican, arrived on Capitol Hill three years ago as a partisan celebrity for her role as Florida's secretary of state during the bitter 2000 presidential recount. Those who thought she stole the election from Democrat Al Gore and handed it to George W. Bush dubbed her Cruella De Vil, and mocked her unsparing use of makeup and, at times, her apparent lack of knowledge.

But these days, her reputation in Washington has less to do with her fame and more to do with the personality and priorities she has brought to Congress during the past three years.

Here, Harris - always called Katherine, never Kathy or Katie - is known for relentlessly pursuing her colleagues when she wants something, which is always, as well as going through an astonishing number of staffers and never straying far from the priorities of the Republican leadership.

But even among members of Congress, her ambition runs deep. Harris expressed interest in a seat in the U.S. Senate after just having won her first House election, and launched her Senate campaign after serving little more than two years.

Many people, even from her own party, believe she can't beat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November. Her poll numbers are sagging, her fundraising totals are low and her campaign manager recently quit. But Harris, 48, continues to smile that unwavering smile of hers.

This year, Harris will embark on a campaign, not just to beat Nelson, but to change the way Floridians see her - from a partisan lightweight with too much mascara to a serious lawmaker who can talk about issues ranging from the deficit to national security.

A typical day for Harris starts at the Capitol gym at 7 a.m. practicing tae kwon do. Then she's off to a breakfast speech, a Republican caucus meeting or a news conference.

At a committee hearing that has deviated from the typical staged discussion into a debate on border security, Harris passes the time reading text messages on her phone and sipping her ever-present Starbucks. Slipping between meetings, which are often scheduled at the same time, a staffer sometimes greets her in the hall with a replacement coffee - triple venti latte, no fat, no foam, two Sweet'N Lows.

It's the usual hectic schedule for most members of Congress. But while others loathe it, Harris thrives.

And after 12 hours at the office, she'll spend the evening hopping from one social event to another, four to six a night, before heading home to her $800,000 rowhouse in the shadow of the Capitol.

"She's in the middle of it all," said Pat Roberts, a longtime friend and a lobbyist for the Florida Association of Broadcasters. "She's having a great time."

The schedule leaves little time for the things she loves: reading biographies, playing tennis, traveling.

"I'm bad at saying no," she admits. "I'm really happiest when I am engaged. It's what motivates me."

C.W. Bill Young, the longtime Indian Shores congressman, frequently spots Harris on the chamber floor during votes; always clutching a folder, making a case to someone.

"She's always button-holing members," he said.

Colleagues and lobbyists, friends and enemies, acknowledge Harris' reputation for being relentless when she needs to persuade someone, somewhere, to do something. A prime example, they say, was a White House idea to create a program to help first-time home buyers.

Erick Gustafson, vice president of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said the plan went nowhere until Harris took it on.

She introduced the relatively noncontroversial bill her first year, then pushed. The American Dream Downpayment Act authorized $200-million each year from 2004 to 2007 to give qualified homeowners an average of $5,000 for down payments.

"She introduced the legislation and steered it through," Gustafson said. "What she brings is dogged determination."

Rep. Tom Feeney, a Republican from the Orlando area who has known Harris since their days together in Tallahassee, opposed the bill because he favors limited government. But Harris kept at him.

"She's very persistent," he said.

Feeney ended up voting for the bill.

Like many junior members of Congress, Harris has spent the past three years focusing on her district and establishing her voting record.

She has sponsored 15 bills since arriving in Congress, and most were designed with southwest Florida in mind - which she now represents and where she grew up an heir to citrus and cattle magnate Ben Hill Griffin Jr.

There's Carlie's Law, in memory of the Sarasota girl killed in 2004, calling for harsher probation and sentencing guidelines and a national sex offender registry. A bill authorizing more judges in southwest Florida. Another to make housing more affordable for law enforcement officers and teachers.

"Everyone told me that it would be so burdensome and difficult to get these things accomplished," Harris said. "I found it quite to the contrary."

But Harris still has critics back home where she narrowly won two terms. Democratic opponent Jan Schneider, a close observer of Harris who is running to fill her seat in November, says she wasn't versed on the issues when they ran against one another in 2002 or 2004.

"She doesn't answer questions. She is terrified of engaging on the issues," Schneider said. "When she gives you an answer off the cuff, it tends to be mixed up."

Harris' conservative record makes her a reliable vote for Republicans, President Bush and the Chamber of Commerce.

She voted to cut corporate taxes $137-billion over 10 years. She supported amending the Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. She voted for the Medicare prescription drug benefit and against the importation of prescription drugs. She voted for a ban on partial-birth abortion except to save a woman's life.

"Katherine Harris is going to live and die on (President Bush's) coattails," said Bruce Fein, a conservative columnist and former Justice Department official in the Reagan administration. "She is not someone who has political legs. She is more tied to the president than the ordinary member of the House."

Since going to Washington three years ago, Harris has seen dozens of congressional staffers come and go.

She has had four chiefs of staff, three district directors, three press secretaries and a number of lower-level employees.

Some former staff staffers put the number who have left as high as 54, more if her campaign office is included.

"That's a lot," said John Fortier, a political scientist who studes Congress for the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. "That's uncommon."

Former staffers complain about Harris' management style, describing her as a politician who is friendly to everyone - lawmakers, constituents, lobbyists - except her staff.

"She is bubbly to the outside world. But when it comes to her staff, she saw us as her servants," said Kathy McCord , a Harris spokeswoman from her days as Florida secretary of state.

Other former staffers echo McCord's comments, but didn't want to provide their names. McCord acknowledges she was fired by Harris.

Harris attributes part of her staff problem to the high turnover rate on Capitol Hill due to the long hours and low pay. She also says she hires "great people" who get snatched away. But some, like her most recent campaign manager, leave with no other job in mind.

Still, the challenge for Harris remains to overcome her own reputation. And she doesn't always help the cause.

Last year, she drew still more attention to her appearance by saying in a television interview that news media had doctored photos to make it look like she was wearing more makeup than she really was. Even her advocates found it implausible.

That was the case in August 2004 when she claimed that a plot existed to blow up the power grid in Carmel, Ind., and that the United States had thwarted 100 terrorist attacks. Later she caused a buzz for the intimate way she was seen chatting with Rep. Rick Renzi, a married Republican from Arizona, during a House floor debate. The video is still on the Internet.

When she first ran for office, her consultants suggested she tone down the makeup and her style of dress. She did, for a while, but then gave up on the conservative approach.

"She's going to be who she's going to be," McKay said. "She's willing to take it."

The result is a woman who dresses like no other in Congress. While dark blue and red suits are the uniform, Harris opts for designer dresses and suits that show off her figure, flashy jewelry and shoes.

"She still is one of the three or four most recognizable members out of 435," said lobbyist friend Roberts.

That status quickly elevated her to a top fundraiser for the Republican Party. She formed a political action committee and traveled the country.

But to critics' delight and supporters' surprise, those earlier fundraising accomplishments have failed to translate to her Senate campaign. Even supporters say she must turn things around or risk being challenged by another Republican.

Harris doesn't flinch in hearing the bad news - at least not in public. She just keeps smiling, a brilliant, impenetrable, almost perfect smile.

"We know what's there for us," she said. "We are confident."

Times staff writer Wes Allison and researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Anita Kumar can be reached at kumar@sptimes.com or 202 463-0576.

Voted to extend the Patriot Act

Voted to approve the Central American Free Trade Agreement

Voted to amend the Constitution to prohibit flag burning

Voted to create the Medicare prescription drug benefit

Voted to ban partial-birth abortion except to save a woman's life.

Voted to create a private school voucher program in Washington, D.C.

Voted to cut corporate taxes $137-billion over 10 years.

Voted to permit a federal court review in the Terri Schiavo case.

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]