By Derek Willis
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 25

Delegates: 80

Chairman: Al Cardenas

Hotel: Loews (215) 627-1200

1996 Election:
Clinton – 48%
Dole – 42%
Perot – 9%

Until mid-June, it appeared that things might be a bit tense at the Florida delegation's get-togethers. Two Florida delegates, 10-term U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum and state Education Commissioner Tom Gallagher, were then engaged in an increasingly hostile contest for the GOP nomination to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Connie Mack.

But an impressive display of clout by Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush - the brother of Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush - settled the clash of the Senate hopefuls.

Worried about the potential damage from a brawl in the state's late (Sept. 5) primary, Bush prevailed upon Gallagher to drop out of the Senate race and instead run for state insurance commissioner, leaving McCollum with a clear path to the nomination.

While Bush obviously will be a visible figure at his brother's Philadelphia "coronation," he is not a delegate to the convention. But his influence is everywhere in the Florida delegation.

Many delegates are county party officials who are veterans of Bush's gubernatorial campaigns - his unsuccessful 1994 run and his 1998 victory - or have known him since he was chairman of Miami-Dade County's local GOP.

Al Cardenas, the state party chairman and a close Bush ally, will help organize the delegation's efforts in Philadelphia. The state's platform committee includes state Rep. Tom Feeney, an Orlando-area Republican who ran for lieutenant governor on Bush's ticket in 1994.

Although Feeney is an opponent of abortion, many delegates said that they did not expect social conservative stands to become a controversy at the convention.

"Religious conservatives are a part of the party but not a controlling faction," said delegate Fred R. Hardt, a Naples attorney. "I think that whatever differences there may be within the party are overshadowed by the need to elect a Republican president."

Not surprisingly, Florida's 80 delegates are solidly behind George W. Bush. Even before Arizona Sen. John McCain dropped out of the GOP presidential race in early March, he had ceded Florida's March 14 primary to the Texas governor.

Jeb Bush's presence has made his older brother a familiar figure to the Floridians. George W. Bush has attended party meetings in Florida, and a number of delegates said they expected to see the Republican nominee several times during the convention.

The makeup of Florida's delegation represents the party's important constituencies, including Cuban-Americans such as 21st District Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart. Women make up 35 percent of the group and include outgoing state Senate President Toni Jennings and Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

Seven of the state's 15 Republican House members will be delegates. Among them are McCollum, who now appears certain to face Democratic state Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson (who was a House member from 1979-91) in the Senate race, and 15th District Rep. Dave Weldon, who is favored for re-election but faces a potentially tough challenge from state Sen. Patsy Kurth.

Most of the remaining House members plan to attend, as does outgoing Sen. Mack. Former Gov. Bob Martinez (1987-91) and state House Speaker John Thrasher will be part of the delegation.

FLORIDA NOTABLES: Reps. Michael Bilirakis, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Bill McCollum, John L. Mica, Joe Scarborough, Dave Weldon and House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young; former Gov. Bob Martinez; state Education Commissioner Tom Gallagher; Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris; state Sen. Toni Jennings; state House Speaker John Thrasher; state Rep. Tom Feeney; Orange County Chairman Mel Martinez.