Open primaries altering course of political races and strategies

A change to the state Constitution allows voters of all parties to participate in primaries in which all candidates are from the same party.

By EDIE GROSS

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 5, 2000

Republican. Republican. Republican. And Republican.

Not much party variety among the four candidates vying for the District 54 state House seat.

Just two years ago, only fellow Republicans could vote in a primary like that, meaning the winner would take the House job without any input from Democrats, independents or members of other, smaller political parties.

But the rules have changed. Now, in a race in which all candidates represent the same political party, all registered voters get to vote in the primary.

That means candidates in those races must appeal to more than just the party faithful. Republicans must woo Democrats and Democrats must impress Republicans. The need to reach a wider array of voters in time for the primaries can raise the cost of those campaigns as well.

"If you really come off as being to one side, you're not just playing to the choir now," said political consultant Wayne Garcia. "There's a lot of other people listening, and they're not going to like your song. We will have some candidates who have to move to the middle now because they can't just isolate one small group of the party."

With two to three months to go before all candidates must be qualified to run, four open primaries are taking shape in Pinellas County. Candidates in those races are mulling over how best to appeal to the most Pinellas County voters should those races remain open.

"You still want to appeal to Republicans, but if everybody's going to vote, it gets like it does in a general election," said Susan Latvala, who is running against fellow Republican Jerry Beverland for the District 4 County Commission seat. "I certainly won't change my position on things, but you have to look harder to find the voters."

In addition to the County Commission race and the District 54 House election, other campaigns affected are the tax collector's campaign, which features two Republicans; and the District 55 House race between two Democrats.

Candidates who plan to qualify for election by petition have until noon June 26. The deadline for write-in candidates and those willing to pay a filing fee is noon July 21.

If those four races do not attract candidates from different parties -- or even those with no party affiliation -- their primaries on Sept. 5 will be open.

Candidates in the affected races say they plan to get out more, addressing not only political clubs but homeowners associations and civic groups. Some have already said they will be walking door to door, introducing themselves to voters regardless of party affiliation.

Tony DiMatteo, a candidate for the House District 54 seat, said he had no plans to change his message to voters. But it might cost him a little more to reach them all, he said.

"I don't know if people are really served by this or not. As expenses go up, you're limiting the field to big-business types. When the people voted for term limits, I think they were telling us they wanted more representation by the average citizen," DiMatteo said.

"It's an interesting dynamic, and I really don't know how my opponents are going to gear up for this."

Diane Nelson, who is challenging Republican incumbent W. Fred Petty for the tax collector's job, said she may spend more money to reach more voters. But more voters, even non-Republicans, may be willing to contribute to her campaign because they can vote in her primary, she said.

Florida voters approved the constitutional revision in 1998 allowing for open primaries in cases like these. The provision has been used only once since then, in a special election for the District 34 Senate seat in December 1999.

Four Republicans competed for the seat, which represents part of the Miami-Dade community. The winner, Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, even showed up at a Democratic Executive Committee meeting to press the flesh and ask for support during his campaign.

Although the turnout for Republicans and Democrats alike was low for the election, Diaz de la Portilla's strategy worked in some ways. He won endorsements from four Democratic party leaders and captured nearly 58 percent of the vote. In Florida, a state known for competitive politics, one-party races are likely to remain rare, said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida.

For now, the candidates in those races may be looking at Diaz de la Portilla's campaign to determine strategy and expenses simply because there is no other example, said Garcia, the political consultant.

"We've been racking our brains trying to figure out what does it mean, because it hasn't been done," Garcia said. "If this comes to pass with races being open, we don't know how we're going to estimate how much to spend to reach (crossover voters) because there's never been any track record."

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