Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Harris says campaing strong despite key departures

Katherine Harris says she'll introduce her campaigns new core leadership team early this next week after losing what was left of her core campaign staff this weekend.

By ANITA KUMAR
Published April 1, 2006

Undaunted by the departure of all her key staffers this weekend, Rep. Katherine Harris said Saturday that she will press on with her campaign for U.S. Senate and announce a new team in the new few days.

The St. Petersburg Times reported a week ago that her top advisers were planning to leave after failing to persuade her to drop her struggling campaign against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Harris initially denied the report but acknowledged the resignations in a statement released Saturday night.

"These changes have been part a thoughtful process at the highest strategic levels of my campaign," she said. "We are stronger as a campaign today than we were yesterday."

Harris said she had hired new staff including a campaign manager, a national fundraising coordinator, a pollster, a Florida political field director, a press secretary and media consultants. She plans to introduce them early this week.

"Our campaign has re-launched with a new staff and is moving forward quickly to engage on the issues important to Florida voters," Harris said. "We have lined up a core team of seasoned campaigners who believe in my candidacy, are committed to this campaign, and support the values of mainstream Florida citizens."

Several former staffers said they doubt she has hired a new team. Just days ago, Harris was trying to recruit new consultants.

Colleagues say Harris has relied on religion more heavily than before, and that her closest confidante these days appears to be spiritual adviser Dale Burroughs, founder of the Biblical Heritage Institute in Bradenton.

Harris, a Longboat Key Republican, has struggled with weak fundraising and a lack of party support for months. She recently announced she would spend $10-million of her own money to compete with Nelson, whom she has trailed significantly in several polls.

In recent weeks, her campaign has lost key advisers including pollster Ed Goeas, national financial director Anne Dunsmore, treasurer Nancy Watkins and media consultant Adam Goodman, who had worked with her on four previous campaigns.

Those who left this weekend include her top consultant Ed Rollins, campaign manager Jamie Miller, press secretary Morgan Dobbs, director of field operations Megan Ortagus and travel aide Fred Piccolo.

"This is a campaign that is spiraling downward by the minute and the smartest thing for her to do would be to get out of the race," said Jim Dornan, a former campaign manager who left in November. "Katherine's trying to run it and a candidate can't run her own campaign. It's foolish for her to try."

Former Harris staffers said Harris had the locks changed on her Tampa campaign headquarters this weekend and hired a security guard to prevent them from returning.

"Former members of my campaign staff are committed to seeking opportunities elsewhere," she said in her statement. "I wish them well as they move on."

Brian Brooks, a press assistant who sent out the statement, could not be reached for comment.

[Last modified April 2, 2006, 10:58:22]