Jennings aims for the middle
Democrat seeks moderates' support in Republican district
October 18, 2006
By DOUG SWORD and JEREMY WALLACE | The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
With an apparent lead in her campaign for Congress, Democrat Christine Jennings is rolling out the moderates.
Over the past two days, Jennings has had a trio of moderate, or at least semi-moderate, Democrats visit Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties talking about agricultural issues in the rural part of the 13th Congressional District and on national security in the coastal areas.
They aren't household names, with the exception of retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a 2004 candidate for president.
But they also aren't John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat Jennings invited to Sarasota late last month.
On Monday, Jennings met with citrus growers and cattle ranchers in Arcadia, bringing along Rep. Stephanie Herseth, a South Dakota Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee.
On Tuesday at Port Manatee, the message was national security, featuring possible 2008 presidential candidate Clark talking about port security and the Bush administration's troubles in Iraq. Former U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Indiana, a member of the 9/11 Commission, talked about America's failed diplomatic efforts to combat terrorism.
Jennings' push to raise her profile as a moderate did not surprise political watchers. In the 13th Congressional District, 45 percent of voters are registered Republicans compared with 32 percent Democrats.
"I do think this is a good sign that her campaign is maturing, because bringing in Kerry is not the most pragmatic thing to do in a Republican district," said Susan MacManus, political science professor at the University of South Florida.
Herseth and Roemer deserve the "moderate" tag, while Clark is "on the edge," MacManus said.
The strategy was also apparent to the Buchanan campaign. "I do think she may be trying to portray herself as a moderate, but if you look at her positions, she's a liberal," said Buchanan spokeswoman Sally Tibbetts.
And it's not surprising that Buchanan is trying to make the "liberal" tag stick. "Conservative" is a popular word, and liberal isn't, MacManus said.
Jennings' campaign says its polling puts Buchanan down by more than 10 percentage points, and earlier this week Buchanan acknowledged that his camp's internal polls show him trailing by 3 percent, which would be within the margin of error.
Clark, who also appeared at a campaign function with 16th Congressional District candidate Tim Mahoney, says he's stumping for "dozens and dozens" of Democrats.
Not repeating the L-word, he said, "I'm running into a lot of labeling and name-calling by a Republican party that's bankrupt of good ideas."
Herseth is in the tough position of being the sole U.S. representative in a state that votes Republican in presidential elections. If Democrats gain control of the House and pass legislation seen as overly liberal, it will be hard for moderates like her to retain their seats. The more moderate Democrats in Congress, the better, she said.
"I need people like Christine," Herseth said, explaining why she used her own campaign funds to pay for the trip to Florida.
Although she's trying to associate herself with mostly moderates, more fiery Democrats like former Bill Clinton political adviser James Carville are also coming to her side.
Carville gushed about Jennings to a group of Democrats on Longboat Key.
But Jennings kept her distance from Carville -- also known as TV's "Ragin' Cajun."
"He doesn't speak for me," Jennings told a reporter as Carville stepped to the podium.
They sat at different tables throughout the lunch.
