Florida, oh, Florida

I live in Lakeland, Florida. You know, where Katherine Harris just won the straw poll that you had to pay $25 to vote? Fifteen minutes from where she was born?

Our paper, The Lakeland Ledger, endorsed Bill Nelson for senate.

They said of Nelson:

Fortunately for Floridians, Harris has an opponent who is worthy of being in the Senate. He is incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, a moderate Democrat who has a long record of working tirelessly for his state and nation.

They said of Ms. Harris:

The second-term congresswoman's attempts to appeal to the dominant conservative wing of the party have only served to put her so far out on a limb that only her die-hard supporters are sticking with her. How seriously can mainstream voters take a candidate who denounces the separation of church and state, and suggests that a vote for her opponent is a vote against Christian principles? She has been dogged by reports of corruption investigations and frequent staff turnovers, with former staff members openly opposing her. The net effect is a campaign in constant turmoil.

Living in a purple state it's good that we can keep Senator Nelson. Unfortunately, the DCCC didn't bother to run a candidate against Adam Putnam. There is an independent, Joe Viscusi, who has signs all over my neighborhood. Mr. Putnam is old orange money (like Ms. Harris) and is likely to win but it would be fun to see him go. Or, at least, it would be fun if his power were lessened because he was part of the minority party.

Fifteen more days.