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Harris infuses campaign with $3-million loan, restocks staff

At the same time, Sen. Bill Nelson's biggest fundraising quarter yet gives him $10.3-million cash on hand.

By ANITA KUMAR and ADAM C. SMITH
Published April 5, 2006

WASHINGTON - Rep. Katherine Harris made good on her promise to fund her troubled U.S. Senate campaign, loaning herself $3-million on Friday, the last day of the fundraising quarter.

Harris, heir to a Florida citrus and cattle fortune, recently pledged to donate $10-million to her campaign after months of lackluster fundraising and sagging poll numbers.

Meanwhile, her Democratic opponent, Sen. Bill Nelson, posted his strongest fundraising quarter.

Nelson raised about $3-million during the first three months of the year. Nelson has about $10.3-million cash on hand, and already had started the year with more campaign money in his account than every U.S. Senate candidate except New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Harris' campaign declined to release its fundraising totals until April 15, the deadline to file a report with the federal government. But Harris filed a required form with the Federal Elections Commission this week about her personal contributions indicating she loaned herself the $3-million.

"No amount of money can buy someone credibility," Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin said.

Responded Chris Ingram, Harris' new communications director: "We look forward to engaging Mr. Nelson on the issues and talking about substantive matters during the course of this campaign. And the credibility ultimately will come down to who shares the common sense values that Floridians want and expect from their elected representatives in Washington."

On Tuesday, Harris announced an almost completely new team of campaign staffers, many of whom have ties to conservative Republican candidates around the nation, but are largely unknown in Florida.

Highlighting her increasing emphasis on religion and mobilizing evangelical voters, Harris tapped as her senior campaign adviser James Lafferty, a former spokesman for Tom DeLay who is well-connected among Christian conservative activists.

Lafferty has assisted anti-gay marriage initiatives in several states and served as executive director of the Christian Seniors Association. He is the son-in-law of the Rev. Lou Sheldon of California, founder of the Traditional Values Coalition and prominent opponent of civil rights for homosexuals, abortion and teaching of evolution in public schools.

The staff announcement came after the last few of her key staffers quit over the weekend when they failed to persuade her to drop her campaign. She has faced weeks of uncertainty and second-guessing about whether she could or would stay in the race after she was linked with a national bribery scandal that put another member of Congress behind bars.

"Like most campaigns, we have made changes that make us stronger," Harris said in a statement Tuesday. "We are not looking back and have our sights on victory in November."

In recent weeks, Harris 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 last weekend included her top consultant Ed Rollins, campaign manager Jamie Miller, press secretary Morgan Dobbs, director of field operations Megan Ortagus and travel aide Fred Piccolo.

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.

--Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Anita Kumar can be reached at akumar@sptimes.com or 202-463-0576.

[Last modified April 5, 2006, 00:36:08]