"•Her late father's legacy. Harris, a citrus heiress, pledged on Fox News Channel in March that she'd put her father's legacy to her — a $10 million inheritance — "on the line" to win her race. In an interview last week, Harris said her father's legacy was "extraordinary work and integrity." As for money, "There's nothing that I have specifically from my father." Harris has given $3 million to her campaign and says she'll liquidate personal assets if necessary.She appears unbeatable in the Republican Primary, and it also appears that she cannot beat Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in the November election.
•Her appearance. Harris likes tight clothing. Jim Dornan, her former campaign manager, compares it to debutante attire. "It's not the type of dress a U.S. senator should or would wear," he says. She wore a tight peach sweater to Red Belly Day, a festival named for a local fish, and sucked on a lollipop. "Oh, no," aide Brian Brooks said as a photographer snapped pictures.
•A sketchy record. Harris gets credit for a program that helps low-income people make down payments on homes. But she is better known for odd controversies, such as saying authorities had foiled a plot to blow up the Carmel, Ind., power grid. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that Indiana and Washington, D.C., officials were "dumbfounded" by her statement.
•MZM. Wade was the central figure in the bribery scandal that put former California Republican congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham in jail. Common Cause has asked the Justice Department to look into whether Harris accepted bribes.
He gave Harris $32,000 in laundered contributions, offered to raise more and sought her help securing a project in her state, according to his guilty plea. Harris did pursue the project, but it was not funded.
Wade's plea document said Harris and her staff were not told Wade broke campaign law by reimbursing the MZM employees who contributed to her campaign. "We've done nothing wrong," Harris says.
Wade also treated Harris to at least two expensive dinners; one last year cost $2,800. Harris spokesman Chris Ingram says the bill was high because Wade took home expensive wine. He says Harris consumed little and gave $100 to a Jacksonville ministry to offset her share. It's unclear whether the donation puts Harris in compliance with the House's $50 gift cap.
Harris "has yet to explain her involvement in the largest congressional bribery scandal in history," says Chad Clanton, Nelson's campaign manager."
How very pleasant. Any Republican defeat is a win for America.
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