In a recent post discussing the Republican side of Florida's 2010 US Senate race Kos made the comment that "the other side is weak" and implied that Democratic Representative Kendrick Meek could not even defeat Marco Rubio in a general election.
This is ridiculous and needs some serious correcting.
CROSS POSTED FROM FLAPOLITICS.COM
The strategy that Rep. Meek has been implementing these past several months is a little understood, long term process that builds on and consolidates the base created by the Obama campaign in 2008.
The ususal pattern of mid-term elections is a fall off in turnout from the last presidential race. But several changes in the election process along with a brilliant tactical move on Rep. Meek's part are working to counter that trend.
The process changes are the addition of early voting and the ability to request absentee ballots on a year-round basis. These two allow campaign workers the opportunity to focus on those voters that did vote in 2008 but may only be marginally involved in 2010.
Many of these voters are young or minority. Rep. Meek has the proven ability to appeal to both these constituencies. And, he is in the process of identifying and recruiting campaign workers to do just that.
This is where the brilliant tactical move comes in.
Rep. Meek decided to be the first person in Florida history to qualify for a US Senate election by petition rather than simply paying a fee. To do so requires his campaign to collect over 100,000 signatures throughout the state. This allows him to engage his present supporters and identify new ones.
Here's a shot of the opening of his Tampa office to give you an idea of who these people are:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Rep. Meek has opened offices throughout the state. He's campaigned everywhere from the panhandle to south Florida. His staffers are working with local DEC's to continue to register new voters (like high school graduates), something the Obama campaign excelled at.
All of these activities are very important for statewide Democratic victories. These efforts are also beginning to show up in polls.
An important thing to remember is that while the audacious Florida Rep. Alan Grayson can light up tv cameras with his pithy comments, there are other styles of campaigning that are just as important.
The two attributes of Rep. Meek that you need to appreciate are his fearlessness and his willingness to work hard.
When our popular Republican governor decided to join the US Senate race rather than run for re-election, Rep. Meek's primary opponent turned tale and ran.
Rep. Meek just smiled and said "I'll run against anyone the Republicans have."
That's a trait just as courageous as Grayson's taunts. It is something we need to recognize and reward.
Rep. Meek's campaign got into the race early and is in for the long haul. They are not doing anything flashy at this point because they know enough to pace themselves.
There is still one more state legislative session for Governor Cirst to oversee in the spring. It will only be at that point, when the Health Care debate should be behind us and everyone is ready to move on to other issues, that the campaign will focus on developing its message and bringing it out in an engaging manner.
The Meek campaign is building a solid foundation, one brick at a time, from which to launch a strong effort in 2010. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, it can be successful.
It shoud be remembered that Charlie Crist only won 52.2% of the vote in 2006. That is NOT an insurmountable margin, especially after he faces a difficult primary.
Certainly we all can help in the effort.