Perhaps the strangest twist yet in the ongoing Katherine Harris free fall is this Tallahassee Democrat report that Harris has a plan to withdraw from the race if she wins the Republican primary.
It may be wishful thinking, but some Florida Republicans are contemplating what could be the most bizarre turn yet in Rep. Katherine Harris’ beleaguered run for the U.S. Senate. According to their speculation, Harris would withdraw from the race if she wins the GOP primary Sept. 5. Harris has told reporters that she has no plans of withdrawing, but the speculation continues.
State Republican Party executives would then appoint a replacement for Harris, an option under Florida’s newly revised election law. That replacement would face incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, in the November general election. ”I’ve heard a lot of chatter about that,” said David Johnson, a Republican pollster and strategist with close ties to Florida’s GOP. The speculation includes a scenario in which the party’s elite, still clinging to the hope of finding a candidate who can seriously challenge Nelson, would give the nod to whoever finishes second in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Johnson said.
Let’s see….
It’s basically Harris against the world, with the GOP establishment against her almost from the beginning. She’s staked a good bit of her inheritance on bucking those odds. Yet, if she manages to win anyway, she’s going to withdraw and give the race to whoever finishes second? Rather than just throwing her support to whomever her preferred alternative might be?
Somehow, that seems implausible.
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