Romney Heeds Call Of Florida

By: Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

Tuesday, Feb 06, 2007

"If early buzz and insider enthusiasm decided elections, Republican Mitt Romney would be well on the way to winning Florida's presidential primary next year.

"No presidential contender from either party has responded more vigorously to the likelihood that Florida will be among the earliest presidential primary contests and could play a decisive role in choosing the presidential nominees.

"For a little-known underdog up against household names like Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, the former Massachusetts governor has done a remarkable job winning over Republican opinion leaders, tapping heavily into Jeb Bush's political network.

"'By far and away, Romney is the most organized candidate on the ground in Florida, and the two frontrunners, Giuliani and McCain, would be wise to pay attention and address that accordingly. Otherwise, they're going to be surprised in the primary,' said Brett Doster, a top Republican strategist who is officially neutral in the race but widely seen as a Romney ally."

...

"'The two main contenders in Florida now are John McCain and Mitt Romney,' said Fort Lauderdale cardiologist Zach Zachariah, one of the nation's top Republican fundraisers. 'I haven't made up my mind, but Mitt Romney is a very attractive candidate, and he's getting a lot of support in Florida.'

"Romney, of course, needs more early organization than his better known rivals, so he has been methodically meeting with Republicans across Florida. Fans cite his personal warmth, his fresh face from outside the Beltway and his track record in business and turning around the troubled 2002 Winter Olympics.

"Among the early Romney supporters in Florida: former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, former state House speakers Allan Bense and John Thrasher, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and state Rep. Dennis Baxley of Ocala, who is among the most prominent social conservatives in the Legislature. Floridians leading his fundraising include former Ambassador Mel Sembler of St. Petersburg and developer Mark Guzzetta of Fort Lauderdale.

"'Al Cardenas (the former state GOP chairman) and I are movement conservatives, and we've made our choice for Mitt Romney,' U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney told a state GOP gathering last month."

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"Former Gov. Bush's top political advisers, strategist Sally Bradshaw and Ann Herberger, are working for Romney, who already has a dozen paid staffers organizing in Florida." ...

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