TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Katherine Harris' U.S. Senate campaign lost what was left of its core team when a top adviser, campaign manager, and communications director resigned this weekend.
Harris, a Republican congresswoman challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, said Saturday she would introduce new members of her campaign early in the week.
"We are stronger as a campaign today than we were yesterday," Harris said in a press release.
Harris said her campaign has lined up people who believe in her candidacy, are committed, and support the "values of mainstream Florida citizens."
Former campaign manager Jim Dornan, who resigned in November, said, "She had the best people in the country. She can't get any better than that.
"This is a campaign that is spiraling downward by the minute," he said, adding she should drop out of the race.
Among those resigning over the weekend were Ed Rollins, a political adviser to President Reagan; campaign manager Jamie Miller; press secretary Morgan Dobbs; and other key staff.
Phone messages left for Rollins and Dobbs were not immediately returned, while contact information was not found for Miller. Harris didn't immediately return a call Saturday for additional comment.
Her campaign has struggled since announcing plans to challenge Nelson last summer.
For months, GOP leaders in Washington tried recruiting someone else into the race, and Harris' fundraising was slow from the start. Turnover has also been a problem. She recently lost a pollster, a national financial director, treasurer and media consultant.
Advisers urged her to get out of the race. She refused and announced last month that she would spend $10 million of her own money to compete with Nelson, whom she has trailed significantly in several polls.
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