Round Of Florida Endorsements Overwhelmingly For Kerry

TAMPA, Fla. --Democratic candidate John Kerry received overwhelming support in electoral vote-rich Florida, picking up the support of seven newspapers as polls point to a dead heat in the state that decided the 2000 election.

The Tampa newspaper has solidly supported every Republican presidential nominee, except for Barry Goldwater, since 1952. But an unusual full-page editorial offered the headline: "Why We Cannot Endorse President Bush for Re-election."

"President Bush told us that he was 'a uniter, not a divider,' but shortly after taking office, his administration took a sharp right turn that has divided this country," the editorial said. The newspaper was "deeply disappointed" with Bush on federal spending, the budget deficit and the recession but said it was skeptical about Kerry.

A day before the start of early voting, the Massachusetts senator was backed by the Bradenton Herald, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida Today, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, the St. Petersburg Times and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

http://www.wftv.com/politics/3827874/detail.html