Here's an excerpt from my upcoming Political Whore column, set to hit newsstands late Wednesday and online earlier that day:

Is Rod Smith catching up with Jim Davis,
or is it all just wishful media thinking?

On April 18, Democratic candidate for governor Jim Davis gave a speech in a bingo hall in Hawthorne. It is a small town about 20 minutes south of Alachua, the home of his opponent, Rod Smith. Differing accounts put the crowd at 75 to100 people.

The Democratic frontrunner’s Hawthorne stop got little media attention. It was part of a tour of rural North Florida in which he announced the endorsements of 81 public officials and grassroots supporters in Smith’s own backyard. Yet the Tampa Tribune’s account was headlined, “Democratic hopefuls still little known.”

Fast forward to Memorial Day in Tampa. This time it was Smith invading Davis’ turf. The state senator attended a party put together by a pair of suburban housewives-turned-activists and attended by more than 100 curious Democrats.

You would have thought it was the Second Coming.

This article appears in May 31 – Jun 6, 2006.