HAHAHAHAHA -- FMR. NH SEN. BOB SMITH to run for FLA. SENATE SEAT

[liberalpragmatist]

This is hilarious -- I hope he gets the nomination, (though I doubt it's likely) b/c we'll trounce him.

Remember this guy? He was the far-right NH Senator who was defeated in a primary bid by now-Sen. John E. Sununu, who went on to defeat Jeanne Shaheen ( :( ).

Whatever happened to Bob Smith? Turns out he moved to Fla. and has decided to run for Bob Graham's senate seat!

> http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-elect/2003/dec/17/121706715.html


Ex-N.H. Sen. Smith to Seek Graham's Seat
By KEN THOMAS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI (AP) - Former New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith, hoping to represent his newly adopted home state, said Wednesday he plans to seek the seat of retiring Sen. Bob Graham.

Smith, a Republican who moved to Sarasota in May, told The Associated Press he will formally announce his candidacy next month. If elected, he would become the first U.S. senator in more than 120 years to have represented more than one state.

"I'm going to run a campaign which I basically offer my credentials to the people of Florida, my seniority, my experience in the Senate," Smith said. "I want to help President Bush. This is a critical state for the president."

Smith, 62, is a social conservative who frequently has been at odds with the GOP establishment. He quit the party and ran for president in 1999, but rejoined the party a few months later, saying he'd made a mistake.

The two-term senator was defeated in last year's Republican primary by John Sununu. In June he took a job selling high-end, waterfront real estate in Longboat Key

Smith said his campaign will focus on military and veterans affairs, the space industry and protecting areas such as the Florida Everglades. (article continues)

[Faygo Kid]

1. Hilarious. Hasn't he read Rove's memo?

Mel Martinez is The Golden Boy. Rove wants Katharine Harris out; Smith will be read the riot act. Even Rove isn't worried about this guy, though. Go play golf, Smith.

[eissa]

2. Rove wants Harris out?

Can you please elaborate? I thought she was their golden girl for giving FL to * ?

[NewJerseyDem]

13. Most think that Harris would hurt Bush

Democrats would be even more excited against Bush and the republicans and Harris would be a reminder of how Bush got into office in the first place.

[Chef]

4. FL

Someone from Fl needs to confirm the story that the reason Mel is running is to try to keep Harris from running and/or winning the primary. Supposedly, Rove fears that Harris will agitate the Dems so much that Damien migth loose FL. They would really rather Byrd, Klaman, or Martinez would run and would be willing to chance not gaining a senate seat rather than loose the state "again".

[kclown]

3. Lest we forget, he's also the guy

who opened up a Senate Hearing room for Marisleysis Gonzalez
& family to rant in front of TV cameras.

[maxanne]

5. Bob Smith

no longer one of many sources of shame in NH. He's inflicting that combover on Florida. :cry:

Seriously - I did a bunch of research a few years back on where his campaign money was coming from. He was getting a lot of money from Florida utility and energy companies - and nukes. Big $$.

The Repubs took him to the woodshed for leaving the party, on account of how it had gotten too liberal. :eyes:

[dusty64]

6. The more the merrier.

Hopefully he will run as an rightwing independent.

[MaineDem]

7. This from Emily's List:

Former New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith (R), who lost his seat in last year's election, wants to return to the U.S. Senate via Florida. Smith moved there after his 2002 loss; this week he declared his candidacy for the open seat. A social conservative, Smith is famous for his extreme right-wing beliefs and capricious behavior. He is rabidly anti-choice and says the only kind of gun control he favors is "a steady hand." Of this Florida race, Smith said, "I want to help President Bush. This is a critical state for the president." They're probably not uncorking the champagne over at the White House, where they lobbied hard to convince HUD Secretary Mel Martinez to resign to run for this seat.

Meanwhile, polling shows a clear Democratic frontrunner in this race: EMILY's List candidate Betty Castor. The nonpartisan survey shows Castor with 27 percent of the primary vote, followed by Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Panelas (11 percent) and Rep. Peter Deutsch (9 percent). It also shows Castor defeating the announced Republican candidates in the general election (Mason Dixon, 11/17-21; 625 voters, margin of error +4%; subsample 379 likely Democratic voters; margin of error +5%). (This poll was released before Smith's announcement.)

[FightinNewDem]

8. Big Bob

Smith is going to get smoked if he runs.

Smith was successful in NH politics for nearly two decades largely because of his superb organization and his tireless, dogged campaign style. Every small town in the state seemed to have an old guy with a flannel jacket and a cap with ear flaps who would put up Smith lawn signs while his wife wrote postcards to the locals. Something tells me that there are far fewer of these people in Fort Lauderdale and Pensacloa.

As much as I dislike Smith's ideology, I have to admit a bit of a softness for the guy. I met him at a campaign stop when I was a teenager. Despite the fact that I was a kid with a bad haircut and a Dudley Dudley for Congress button, he was friendly and totally unpretentiuous. I also loved the fact that in all of his congressional races, the party establishment tried to stop him and failed. In 1980, Smith lost to party-backed Marshall Cobleigh, but built organization and name rec. In '82, he beat the insider's candidate, Tony Campaigne, and ran a credible race against incumbent Democrat Norm D'Amours. When the seat opened up in '84 (D'Amours ran for Senate), Smith trounced establishment foes Larry Brady (US Undersecretary of Commerce) and Carlton Eldredge (Rockingham County Prosecuting Attorney).

Smith was wrong on every issue I cared about, but despite it all, I kind of like him. Don't get me wrong. I never voted for him. My first vote was for Jim Demers in the 1986 race. But there was something about Smith's against-the-tide ascendancy that was refreshing.

[maxanne]

9. you worked for Dudley Dudley??

Wow - that's a blast from the past, FightinNewDem!!

Are you from the seacost area??

[FightinNewDem]

12. Grew up there...

I grew up on the Seacoast, though I now live and work in Manchester.

I actually spent most of my time in 1984 volunteering for Norm D'Amour's senate campaign, but the local Dudley coordinator and I teamed up on a lot of things after the primary.

Ah, the good old days of the Eighties! Paul McEachern (yay!), Chris Spirou (yuck!), Jim Demers, Burt Cohen (wait...he's still around!)...if it weren't for the fact that we always lost, I'd remember those days fondly!

[Redneck Socialist]

14. I heard Burt is going to run against Gregg...

can you confirm those rumors?

[maxanne]

16. it's not a rumer

Burt is going to run against Gregg. I think Burt's been a great state senator - but he needs some work before he's ready to run against Gregg. I saw him speak last week - he needs some guidance.

[Redneck Socialist]

17. You're being too kind Maxanne.

I like Burt on a lot of levels but he is not ready for prime time. I hate to sound so negative but Gregg is gonna eat his lunch.

[Redneck Socialist]

10. Bob's a major loony, but...

...like yourself I do have some respect for the guy. I think he liked to rattle the establishment pubs cage from time to time just for the hell of it.

[maxanne]

11. oy

I saw Bob Smith at the FEMA hearings on the evacuation plan for the nuke at Seabrook - he was the only rep from NH at the hearings. (around '87 or '88) The panel was sitting at a big table on a stage. He fell asleep up there.

Pendejo.

[mikehiggins]

15. Harris will likely be the GOP candidate

and lose to Castor big time. We should all encourage her to run and rub the 2000 election in the faces of all the Democrats in the state.

Talk about mobilizing the base!

NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA