Tampabay.com
OCTOBER 28, 2009

Marco Rubio as the new Katherine Harris

Kharris Not aware that Marco Rubio demands constant infusions of Triple Venti, no fat, noRubio2 foam, extra hot, with pink sugar. But regardless of whether Rubio does insist on Starbucks stops, Katherine Harris' old campaign manager, Jamie Miller, sees Rubio heading down the same path as Harris. Read every word of the devastating critique:

...Rubio’s campaign faces a primary challenger in the sitting governor from the same party while Harris’ campaign faced the incumbent U.S. Senator from the opposing party.  Rubio is trying to defeat a more experienced candidate who has won major statewide races much like Harris’ opponent in 2006.  Harris had the advantage of being elected statewide in a minor cabinet race while Rubio’s only major statewide experience has been as Speaker of the Florida House, an election with about 80 voters (other House members of the same party).

Finally, one of the similarities between Rubio and Harris is that neither had ever faced the sting of defeat until they ran for the U.S. Senate.  I think this alone gives them loftier expectations from themselves and their campaigns than can be realized in a race of this size.

I always tell my clients that I want them to be successful in three areas regardless of whether they win or lose a race – personal, professional and political.  A failed political campaign of this magnitude can have a devastating effect in all three areas of one’s life.

What Rubio fails to realize with his lack of fundraising and his burn rate is that he simply isn’t going to have the “voter contact” dollars available to him to be successful in a top-of-the-ticket federal race. 

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