Rep. Harris Goes From GOP Darling to Liability.

Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times:

She's called for a Christian theocracy so Congress won't "legislate sin." She's lost a dozen key campaign staffers in the home stretch, advertised endorsements she didn't get and failed to pick up a single recommendation from Florida's leading newspapers.

Rep. Katherine Harris — the former darling of the Republican Party for her pivotal role in the 2000 presidential recount — has stumbled so badly in her bid for the U.S. Senate that pollsters and pundits no longer focus on her longshot chances against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson in November, but instead on the outlook for Tuesday's primary race against virtual unknowns.

Three polls released this week all put Harris, 49, at least 16 percentage points ahead of her three Republican rivals. But with two of the challengers closing in on her, and the share of undecided voters larger than her advantage, analysts say the contest for the party's nomination is far from over.

Attorney Will McBride and retired Navy Adm. LeRoy Collins Jr. have surged to within striking distance of Harris and have been barnstorming the state in these last days of campaigning in hopes of gaining critical mass amid deeply conflicted Republican voters.

"My message is: 'Republicans, don't throw in the towel. This race is not over. We can still win,' " McBride, 34, said as he hit the highways and airwaves with a tailwind of endorsements that Harris had expected to get.