State: Nelson: Party consensus needed vs. Bush

Florida's first-term U.S. senator said he and the state's two other leading elected Democrats, Sen. Bob Graham and Attorney General Bob Butterworth, must "bring consensus" among many potential candidates for governor in the next few months.

The alternative, he said, is a "circular firing squad" of Democrats attacking each other in a crowded primary, leaving the nominee doomed to fail against a well-rested, well-financed Gov. Jeb Bush in November 2002.

"You've got to have somebody that can appeal to moderate and conservative Republicans and Democrats, and is perceived as a mainstream person," Nelson said. "And if you come into it battered and broke against an opponent who has unlimited money in the general election, you can't win it."

For Democrats, the next few months are key. Between now and year's end when candidates report fundraising numbers, Nelson said, "a consensus will begin to emerge as to who's beginning to show strength."

Based on those numbers, Nelson said, he anticipates a "prayer meeting" among the field of candidates by early 2002 with the clear goal of forcing some people out -- for the good of the party.

"Graham and Butterworth and I will try to get them to recognize that, and that's going to be very tough," Nelson said. "There's probably going to be some hurt feelings in the process."

Over coffee with reporters in his office, Nelson tried to avoid appearing to favor one candidate over others, saying: "We're not taking sides."

But his careful reading of Florida's ever-changing politics, and his own centrist views, suggest he's comfortable with Douglas "Pete" Peterson, who returned home a week ago after four years as U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. Peterson, 66, was an Air Force pilot who spent more than six years as a prisoner of war after his jet was shot down in 1966.

"He has this incredible story that brings him credibility immediately," Nelson said of Peterson. Nelson declined to size up Janet Reno's strengths and weaknesses, telling one reporter: "I'm going to sidestep your question."

Neither Peterson nor Reno, the former U.S. attorney general, has made a decision. But so far they have dominated the private discussions among many party activists.

Democrats who have announced for governor include state House Minority Leader Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach, Sen. Daryl Jones of Miami-Dade and Tampa lawyer Bill McBride, who took a leave of absence as managing partner of Holland & Knight, the state's largest law firm. U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa also is considering running.

What may at first glance look like a deep lineup of Democratic contenders may also be a potential for disaster. And the decision by the Republican-led Legislature to drop the second primary or runoff in 2002 is prompting Nelson to intervene early with the goal of anointing a front-runner.

Dropping the runoff, Nelson said, "was smart on the Republicans' part."

It was Nelson, himself a candidate for governor in 1990 who lost the nomination to Lawton Chiles, who sounded out Graham, and then Butterworth, as possible opponents for Bush earlier this year. Both men said they didn't want to run, so Nelson and Graham took Peterson out to dinner in Washington in March and romanced him.

At the time, Nelson said, no one else was in the race.

Nelson credits his 2000 victory over Republican Bill McCollum to his ability to stockpile millions of dollars' worth of TV ads for the final weeks, enabling him to neutralize the GOP air war in the state's biggest, costliest television markets of Miami, Tampa and Orlando. He raised $7-million, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) spent $6.5-million more on his behalf.

Frankel and Peterson reacted with caution to Nelson's remarks.

Campaigning in Clay County south of Jacksonville, Frankel said her party will run on what she says have been her priorities: higher teacher pay, lower class sizes, HMO accountability and fairer tax breaks.

"I'm very grateful that Nelson and Graham and Butterworth are interested and are going to follow this race. I think that's very good for the party," Frankel said. "My goal is for my own campaign to get traction."

Peterson, who has been house-hunting in Tallahassee, said he's still in the early stages of assessing a campaign for governor. "I feel strongly about my ability, but I have to be sure the support is there and the potential for fundraising and all the other things that go with something like this," Peterson said.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk