Has Rove Pulled the Plug on Katherine Harris?

The tea leaves seem to indicate that Rep. Katherine Harris will drop out of the race to unseat Florida Democratic senator, Bill Nelson, this week. This move seems to have the pudgy fingerprints of the White House politbureau all over it.

Rep. Katherine Harris fueled already rampant speculation about the status of her campaign for the U.S. Senate when she released a statement Saturday promising a “major announcement” about her future this week.

The Longboat Key Republican’s campaign is barely stumbling along after revelations that she took thousands in illegal contributions from a defense contractor who bribed a California congressman.

And while she has had little to say about the matter, many others are talking, including Republicans worried about losing the Senate race and Democrats emboldened by the financial and political woes confronting Harris.

It didn’t help when rumors circulated last week that Harris might not stay in the race.

In her statement, Harris acknowledged all the speculation, notifying Republican activists at a meeting in Memphis that she was canceling her scheduled appearance there Saturday night “as I prayerfully prepare with my family, friends and advisors to finalize the strategy for a major announcement next week concerning my candidacy for the U.S. Senate.”

Harris continued: “I will continue to look to our founding fathers, who pursued their vision with integrity and perseverance, to discern the best course of action for the state of Florida and our nation.”

If she drops out, who will take her place? One name we’ve heard floated about is Rep. Mark Foley, a notoriously homophobic closeted gay Republican members of the U.S. House. That would certainly liven up the campaign.

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