http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2010... BROOKSVILLE - Local Democrats showed up Saturday afternoon to meet their frontrunner for the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek is traveling up, down and across Florida to meet voters face to face.
There are four big names in the race for the U.S. Senate and Meek is the only one who has yet to air a commercial. He's deliberately taking a more old-fashioned approach to campaigning – scheduling large and small gatherings that have more of a town-hall flavor.
His staffers said poll numbers show he is comfortably ahead of challenger Jeff Greene. Meek himself said his grassroots approach is still the best way to get voters to remember him.
"We're going to continue visiting all the small towns and all the big cities because it's worked for us since January of last year," he said moments before he strolled through the entrance to the American Legion Post 99 building. "We're gaining strength as we move along."
In a contest that seemed destined to go to Gov. Charlie Crist six months ago has turned into one of the most closely watched and unpredictable Senate races in the country.
Some political analysts said Crist's decision last month to leave the Republican Party was the best thing for Meek, a Miami congressman with significantly less name recognition than either Crist or conservative Republican Marco Rubio, the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
But Meek, unlike Crist or Rubio, still has to win a primary. Billionaire challenger Jeff Greene has amped up his campaign by introducing a series of statewide commercials, touting himself as a businessman who will create jobs and challenge the career politicians in Washington D.C.
Greene jumped from millionaire to billionaire status after he anticipated a burst in the housing bubble and invested in a series of credit default swaps, which resulted in large payouts after so many people defaulted on their bank loans.
Meek, 43, has harped on that point in recent days, saying Greene "made money off the backs" of the struggling working class.
Greene countered by linking Meek to his former chief of staff, who received thousands of dollars from a developer accused of stealing funds from a defunct biopharmaceutical complex.
Meek on Saturday scoffed at Greene's attempts to characterize him as the stale, business-as-usual choice.
"I'm far from the establishment candidate," Meek said. "Establishment candidates raise money and go on TV and show up for debates. They're not showing up at American Legion halls."
The tall-statured Meek walked through the front door and the building erupted. All of the chairs were filled while a dozen or more stood against the back wall. Camera flashes went off as several dozen reached out to shake hands with their candidate.
Meek, who ditched the tie and blazer because of the 85-degree heat, was scheduled to meet with voters in Polk, Hernando, Lake and Pinellas counties throughout the day and night Saturday and squeeze in some time for some fishing, according to his staff.
He arrived 35 minutes late at the American Legion building, partially because of the confusing one-way roads throughout downtown Brooksville. His GMC Yukon passed the rear of the building three times before one of his aids flagged him down and gave him directions to Fort Dade Avenue.
Mostly everyone in the building was there to get their first glimpse of Meek. They have seen his name in print or on bumper stickers, but some didn't even know what he looked like.
"I'm here to find out more about him," said Carol Eaton, of Lake Lindsey. "I'm interested in the race and I'm interested in how he feels about the issues."
Meek has said he was in favor of repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell," a policy that prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the military. He also recently told a South Florida town hall audience that he has long been opposed to offshore drilling and that BP owes Florida three times more money than it has promised for tourism in light of the recent Gulf oil spill.
Posted By: Kendrick Meek
Tuesday, June 1st 2010 at 4:34PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
