Florida Today: Kendrick Meek pushes for Senate seat in Melbourne
MELBOURNE — U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek extolled his track record and leadership abilities Saturday to a banquet hall full of Brevard County Democrats as he continued to vie for the party's nod in his run for the open Senate seat in Florida.
While much of the media attention has been on the race between Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio, Meek is facing stiff competition among fellow Democrats. Three challengers: Jeff Greene, Glenn Burkett and Maurice Ferre also spoke Saturday at the Hilton Rialto Place while attending the annual auction and fundraiser for the Palm Bay Democratic Club.
"Leadership is about getting out in front of an issue before everyone else has," said Meek, a former member of the Florida House and Senate. "I wasn't just a member of the House and Senate, I was a working member. I'm asking you to do the things we must do. There is no doubt in my mind we can win this race with hard work."
But some of the other hopefuls had harsh words for the Democratic frontrunner.
"It's time to change quarterbacks or the Democrats are going to throw this thing away," said businessman Glenn Burkett, challenging listeners to "show some backbone."
"I can beat Rubio, and I can beat Crist," Burkett said.
Maurice Ferre, formerly a six-term mayor of Miami, said the problem in Washington has not been too much government, just bad government.
"We've had a slide going on for the last 30 years led by Republican ideology," he said. "If we do not have a strong candidate in November then a lot of people will end up voting for Charlie Crist, and he will end up voting with Republicans. The other candidates cannot carry November."
The most recent addition to the race, billionaire real estate investor Jeff Greene, said the status quo has been rife with corruption and it was time for a change. He has been spending $1 million a week on campaign ads.
"I'm running because I'm frustrated and fed up with what's going on in Washington," he said. "To get real change, we need an outsider. I've never made special interest deals. I'll fight to end the culture of corruption and bribery. Too many people are living the 'American Nightmare.' "
Meek, well-known in South Florida, said he joined the race in January to get more exposure in his home state.
"I need your vote," he said before smiling. "But only vote once."