Short change: The “Miami Herald” reports today that Fla. Rep. Katherine Harris did not make good on her promise to place her entire personal fortune of $10 million into her lagging campaign for U.S. Senate. Harris, who is trailing Sen. Bill Nelson by double digits and whose campaign has seen a mass exodus of staffers in the past week, only deposited $3 million into her campaign account.
Harris’ smaller-than-expected investment could further hurt her credibility, already damaged by a staff mutiny, tepid support from leaders of her own party and shifting explanations about her campaign finances. Last month, she said on television that the $10 million would come from an inheritance from her late father. Days later, after persistent questions from reporters, she said the money would come from selling off her own assets.
Harris’ new campaign spokesman, Chris Ingram, said Harris will invest $10 million by Election Day.
”The plan is still the same,” Ingram said. “You start with the foundation, and then you put up the walls and the roof.”
— Kellyanne Conway
Sounds more like she’s holding out, waiting to see if the Republican Party is going to stop picking on her and start supporting her. After all, why shoot the moon on a horse that might not even finish the race?
Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway said the party needs to stop questioning Harris and rally around their presumptive nominee.
”You’d be hard pressed to find any other Republican candidate — especially one who invests $3 million — who receives such scrutiny,” she said. “If the $3 million is a down payment toward $10 million, she’s like any other good investor.”
Big “if.” That’s the problem with Katherine Harris — it’s not just about investing money, it’s about being 100 percent invested in the campaign and willing to, as we say in Cracker country, “Root, hog, or die.”
The Tampa Tribune said her financial disclosure statements put her net worth at $37 million, and that was before her father died. As always, Katherine’s lying.