Who Will Win Gov Debate?By Brian E. Crowley | Monday, October 23, 2006
Jim Davis, Democrat
Charlie Crist, Republican
Ditto, Republican
Jim Davis finally will have a chance Tuesday night to dispel the notion that he cannot defeat Charlie Crist in the race for governor.
For the first time since becoming the Democratic nominee, Davis will be standing on the same stage with Crist, the Republican nominee. They both will be looking at the cameras. They both will have a lot to lose as they begin their first statewide television debate.
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Jim Krog, who managed Chiles’ 1994 campaign, said Tuesday’s event “may be the most important debate in a campaign since 1994.”
In Krog’s view, it could all come down to which candidate makes the biggest blunder.
“Every candidate makes mistakes in debates, but you try not to make a critical mistake,” Krog said. “If one of them makes a critical mistake, it gets played in the news until the second debate and changes the expectations of that debate.”
That means if Davis comes on strong and Crist were to make a “critical mistake,” the momentum of the governor’s race could begin shifting to Davis. If Davis stumbles, it would be even harder for him to make a comeback.
Since winning the Republican nomination Sept. 5, Crist has avoided making joint appearances with Davis to prevent Davis from getting the publicity that would result from the two of them appearing together.
Instead, Crist has relied on saturating television with his campaign ads. Crist began his ads shortly after the primary. Davis didn’t get on the air until October.
Crist’s front-runner status also allowed him to call the shots for the debates. When Davis called for four single-issue debates, Crist ignored him. When Davis insisted that their second televised debate be an informal chat between them and host Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s Hardball, Crist again said, “no,” forcing Davis to accept a rigid format in which they would stand at podiums and answer questions.
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“Most people in South Florida probably think Crist is a Democrat,” because of his populist campaign, said Rorapaugh (a Democratic activist). “Davis needs to tag Crist for what he is, a Republican, and not let him blur that fact.”
Oh, we won't let people forget, Mr. Rorapaugh. No worries.
We've seen some great Democrats in these parts, Charlie.
Reubin Askew
Bob Graham
Lawton Chiles.
Sorry, Charlie, but you are no Democrat.