Yesterday's Republican primary for Governor in Florida produced yet another surprise outsider victory. Republican elected officials had lined up behind Florida State Attorney General Bill McCollum, but businessman Rick Scott took him out with totally unconventional campaign. Scott has plenty of baggage in the 1997 $1.7B settlement of medicare fraud by Columbia HCA, the hospital holding company he founded. However, he was never charged with any wrong-doing, and he was ousted by the Columbia/HCA board before the settlement, because he wanted to fight it.
Even more stunning is the present vote count in Alaska where the incumbent Spendican Senator Lisa Murkowski, daughter of Alaska's legendary pork-barreler Frank Murkowski, trails Sarah-Palin-and- Tea-Party-Express endorsed previously unknown Fairbanks attorney Joe Miller. "Previously unknown" is a phrase we are hearing a lot this year. 16,000 absentee ballots are as yet uncounted, but Miller's lead is about 3000 votes with 98% of the rest of the vote counted.
Murkowski seems likely to join Specter and Bennet as RINO Senators benched by the Republican electorate. An endorsement from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and K Street lobbyist PAC contributions are just the ticket this year... to an early retirement party.
Still,John McCain sails on.
Amusingly, Republicans won the total primary turnout battle in Florida yesterday, 60%-40%. It turned out thus, even though there was a heated campaign for the Dem Senatorial nod.
Golly, I wonder what that means for November.
