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| | | Floridians tell stories of Governor Bush’s personal impact in their lives.
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Wednesday, November 6, 2002
Tampa Tribune
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Bush Makes History
By William March
TAMPA - John Ellis ''Jeb'' Bush became the first Republican in Florida history to be re-elected as governor, ending by a surprisingly large vote margin a determined upset bid by Tampa lawyer and civic activist Bill McBride.
Bush's convincing win cements his historic position as the dominant figure in Florida's decadelong transition from a Democratic-dominated state to a Republican-leaning swing state.
But at least in the beginning of his second term, he will face serious budget problems that experts say could prevent his administration from accomplishing major new policy initiatives.
Bush's win was part of a crushing Republican sweep that saw the lone Democratic statewide post, the attorney general's office, switched to Republican and an incumbent Democratic member of Congress, Karen Thurman, unseated. Republicans also captured both new U.S. House seats added after last year's redistricting.
State government will now be dominated by Republicans in the governor's office, in solid majorities in both houses of the state Legislature, and in all three state Cabinet seats.
After staying in his hotel room for most of the evening with his parents, Bush appeared about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday before a crowd pulsating with salsa music in a Miami hotel ballroom to claim his victory.
The crowd of 1,000 had already worked itself to a fever pitch, screaming when CNN called Bush the winner at 8:27 p.m.
Speaking in subdued, almost humble tones, Bush said he had just talked to McBride.
''I told him he ran a hard race and I looked forward to working with him to build a better state of Florida,'' Bush said.
''Now's the time to unite us as a state and I appreciate Mr. McBride's contribution to the political process.''
With him onstage were his sons, George P. and Jebbie Bush; his wife, Columba; Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan and Brogan's fiancee, Courtney Strickland, a Tallahassee law student and former legislative staff member, whom he introduced to the public for the first time Tuesday night; and Bush's parents, former President Bush and Barbara Bush.
Bush repeated his campaign themes of rising student achievement and dropping crime.
He said he will make Florida families the focus of his next four years, working to diversify the state's economy and make sure all third-graders can read at grade level by the end of his administration.
McBride conceded about 10 p.m., appearing before supporters at the Tampa Marriott Westshore ballroom.
''We've moved the agenda into the right place,'' he said. ''That's good for Florida and the public schools and the working men and women of Florida. We did make a difference.
''I'm proud and pleased and there is more love in this room than I deserve.''
Asked about his plans, political or otherwise, he said he would think about that ''tomorrow.''
Bush acted decisively in his first term to strengthen the office of governor, historically weak compared with dominant legislative leaders.
That, plus his re-election and the friendly GOP majorities in the Legislature will make him a powerful governor at least for the next two years, said University of Florida political scientist Stephen Craig.
''There's no reason to doubt that he will be in a pretty strong position at first,'' he said. ''Toward the end of your tenure, in years seven and eight, things slip a little.''
Looming Deficit
But Florida Atlantic University political scientist David Niven said budget issues will be ''the signature fact of the second term.''
''The governor's economic advisers will soon announce projected revenues, and they'll show the state will be billions in the hole for next year's budget.''
Bush is the third Republican governor since Reconstruction, after Claude Kirk, elected in 1967, and Bob Martinez, elected in 1987.
He didn't begin the state's swing toward Republicanism. Republicans first won control of the state Senate in 1994, when Bush lost to incumbent Gov. Lawton Chiles.
The GOP first won the state House in 1996.
But after 1994, Bush remained the dominant figure in the state party.
Transitional Leader
University of South Florida political scientist Darryl Paulson compared Bush to Gov. Reubin Askew as the dominant figure of a historical transition period.
''Askew transformed Florida's image from a Old South state to a progressive one, different from many Southern states,'' Paulson said. ''Bush has done the same thing for the Republicans - he's the standard-bearer for the partisan transformation.'''
Although Askew sought to make the state more progressive, Paulson said, Bush ''wants to modernize the state based on a managerial model.''
Bush also enlarged the boundaries of political fundraising in Florida, using a money machine partly inherited from his father and shared with his brother.
Because of the soft-money loopholes built into Florida campaign finance law, it will be difficult to say with certainty how much was spent on the governor's race.
But figures commonly cited for the Bush campaign and the Republican Party show spending on his behalf range from $35 million up.
Bush used that money to run an aggressive, negative campaign heavy with attack ads, a political style Bush has become known for.
As in both previous campaigns, Bush went negative early, attacking McBride on TV even before McBride won the Democratic nomination.
The attacks slipped into distortion and sometimes falsehood. A Jacksonville radio ad accused McBride of having supported unilateral nuclear disarmament; automated calls to voters this weekend said McBride doesn't ''support traditional marriage.''
Niven called it ''a dirty campaign reflecting a national trend - if you can't say anything bad about your opponent, say something terrible.''
Fair Game
But others disagreed.
Paulson said the main subject of Bush's attacks on McBride was fair game - the accusation that McBride would raise taxes, even though McBride promised not to, was ''a legitimate issue.''
The turning point in the campaign, he said, was the third debate between Bush and McBride, televised Oct. 22, in which Bush repeatedly hammered at McBride over taxes.
''Bush was able to define the issues and define his opponent,'' Paulson said.
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