Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Beth Lester, Clothilde Ewing and Jessica Shyu of the CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.

Monday's Headlines

* Could It Come Down to Florida Again

* The Race for VP

* Kerry Making New Friends

* Udall: Will He or Wont He?

* Illinois Senate Primary Preview

* President a No-show at Brother's Wedding

Florida Shaping Up as Eye of the Storm in '04: On Sunday and Monday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry campaigned in Florida, a state that both parties think could again play a vital role in determining the next president of the United States. While Floridians vote tomorrow in the presidential primaries, the real fight has been taking shape since the razor-thin 537-vote margin there gave the presidency to George W. Bush.

Kerry visits the state as a Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times poll, taken March 3-4, shows him leading Bush 49 percent to 43 percent.

The New York Times reports: "The tug of war over Florida, capital of swing voters and microscopic election margins, extends far beyond the preparations for the primary on Tuesday. Both sides have been mapping strategy since the bitter recount of 2000, with sophisticated armies vying for the volatile electorate earlier than ever. Florida has 9.3 million voters and 27 electoral votes, 10 percent of what is needed to win."

President Bush has visited the state 19 times as president and his campaign already is pouring $900,000 on ads in the state.

The Times describes Florida's electorate as a "churning mixture of blacks, Hispanics, retirees from other states, urban liberals, suburban moderates and conservative-leaning rural residents made for a deeply divided state. One of five voters is unaffiliated or belongs to a minor party, assuring roller-coaster campaigns for national candidates."

Meanwhile, the Palm Beach Post reports that Tuesday's voting, the first statewide election since the 2000 debacle and the first to use electronic voting machines, is being closely watched by all parties.

Running Away from VP: Wink, Wink, Nod, Nod: Kerry VP meister Jim Johnson is the one who really knows who is on or off the list and Kerry insists "it will be a very discreet, private process and I want to keep it that way." CBS News' Steve Chaggaris reports that Kerry says he won't be totally wrapped up in it but will receive "regular updates" during the process.

Three of those "mentioned" for the job took different tacks on CBS News' Face The Nation on Sunday. Govs. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania and Sen. Bob Graham of Florida were asked by Bob Schieffer whether they would be interested in serving as a possible running mate. Only Graham stepped up to the plate. "I--I will do whatever I can to help John Kerry be elected president and deny George Bush another four years in the White House."

On the other hand, Richardson demurred a bit saying he was happy serving the people of New Mexico. "My job isn't finished yet. I've only been governor a year… You know, governor is the best job in the world. And I've said this before. Nobody seems to believe me. You obviously don't. But I am very happy in my job." Rendell took pains to play up his contender's resumes. "Well--well, first of all, I think it should be someone who could be president and that's where Bob Graham and Bill Richardson have a tremendous advantage over someone like me," he said. "They both have foreign policy experience. They both have real homeland security and domestic terrorism experience," he continued.

Meanwhile, John McCain trashed the hopes of Democrats hoping to see a Kerry/McCain ticket on ABC's "This Week," reports the Washington Times. "It's always flattering to hear one's name mentioned," McCain said. "But I do not intend to leave the Republican Party."

On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani stuck to the would-be candidate line on NBC's "Meet the Press," saying he was "very happy" doing what he's doing, but if Dick Cheney chose not to run, he would not refuse the offer. "An offer I couldn't refuse? If they ask me, what can I say?"

Kerry Making New Friends All Over: John Kerry spent the weekend in Mississippi, where he spoke to an African-American audience and "excoriated President Bush from the lectern of a black church," reports the Boston Globe. Leaving Jackson, however, Kerry is trying to find ways to make new friends in high places. CBS News' Steve Chaggaris, who is traveling with the Kerry campaign, reports that Kerry is planning to meet with Howard Dean to "discuss winning the presidency of the United States. He has said he's going to help in any way possible. I look forward to meeting with him." Kerry has talked with Dean "four or five times" recently and the meeting will likely take place in Washington, D.C., later this week. Another possible meeting may be in the works with John Edwards, who Chaggaris reports has talked with the presumptive nominee, although nothing is scheduled as of Monday. Kerry said Monday morning that he and Edwards "became good friends" during the primary season.

Another chapter in the making-new-friends playbook came Monday morning, with Kerry attending a 50-person fundraiser in Florida. The Florida fundraiser included guests like Sens. Bob Graham and Bill Nelson and the mayor of Broward County. Kerry made some remarks and also took photos with each guest, according to reporters allowed to cover the event. At one point, Kerry echoed a Dean fundraising goal, saying the campaign wanted two million Americans to give $100 each. Kerry also told the assembled money men and women: "I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but boy they look at you and say, 'You gotta win this, you gotta beat this guy, we need a new policy,' things like that. So there is enormous energy out there."

Back in Washington, the Kerry team will try to get more energy out of meetings scheduled this week with House and Senate Democrats, according to Roll Call. The Kerry team is hoping to use those congressional coffee klatches to ensure that his new fundraising and rapid-response friends are all working together.

In other news from Kerryville, the Massachusetts senator is looking at some new kinds of travel: Iraqi and vacation. The Kerry campaign is deliberating about sending a "fact-finding" mission to Iraq sometime in the coming months, reports the Boston Herald. Kerry himself may or may not join the group personally, telling reporters that "It's something that's been discussed, but the time's difficult and I don't want any sense of politicization in that regard." No final decision has been made on the Iraqi front but the Kerry team is much closer to deciding on some time off for the candidate in the next couple of weeks. Having run full-blast for a year, not including a break to treat his prostate cancer, Kerry is looking at a short vacation later in March. No word on location, but you can bet the Kerry traveling press is hoping for a trip to one of the posh Kerry/Heinz Kerry's homes.

Udall a Maybe in Colorado: Rep. Mark Udall, D – Colo., made a curious political move: He declared himself the best candidate for an open Senate seat without declaring that he would be a candidate, reports the Denver Post. Udall, who declined to enter the race before Sen. Ben Nighthorse-Campbell announced his retirement, now believes the situation is fundamentally different. As his spokesman Lawrence Pacheco told the Post, "With Sen. Campbell out of the race, it's a whole new ballgame; there'll be different players."

The situation is somewhat complicated by the candidacy of Rutt Bridges, a millionaire software entrepreneur, who the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had selected before Campbell's announcement. DSCC Chair Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., told the Post, "Even before Ben's stepping aside, we had recruited a candidate in Colorado…We would like to see a united party without a primary," but did not explicitly call on Udall to stay out. Stay tuned to see whether Udall, a popular figure statewide, will jump into the race.

On the other side of the race, CBS News has learned that Gov. Bill Owens, who would likely be the strongest GOP candidate, will take a week to decided whether he will enter the race.

Illinois, The Land of Lincoln and the Land of Rich Candidates: Although the importance of Illinois' March 16 presidential primary has gone by the wayside, the state still has an interesting battle going on to determine who will run in each party to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.

On the Democratic side, the latest poll in Illinois, done by Research 2000 between March 1-4, shows state Sen. Barack Obama leading with 22 percent, followed by Comptroller Dan Hynes at 20 percent, Blair Hull at 15 percent and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas at 14 percent. The rest of the Democratic field was in the low single digits.

The New York Times takes a look at the race, and the fact that it's chock full of wealthy people looking for new careers.

"Seven of the 15 candidates hoping to succeed Peter Fitzgerald, a millionaire who is not seeking a second term, fall in the millionaire range themselves. Four are Republicans and three are Democrats, including the two women who complained indignantly about Mr. Hull — Ms. Pappas and Ms. Washington."

"Americans have grown used to seeing rich political novices seek office, but rarely has one race drawn so many. They include a dairy owner whose name is ubiquitous on milk bottles, an investment banker turned schoolteacher, a paper company executive and a doctor turned high-tech entrepreneur. Of the 10 Senate candidates across the country who had given the most money to their own campaigns by the start of this year, 5 were running in Illinois, according to the Center for Responsive Politics."

Blair Hull has a fortune estimated at between $132 million and $444 million. Trailing him in the polls and the checkbook are dairy owner Jim Oberweis at $7.6 million to $33.4 million; former investment banker Jack Ryan at $96 million. Several other candidates are mere millionaires a few times over.

Hull, who has promised to spend $40 million of his own money on the race, has been going through a very public airing of his divorce in recent weeks, the Times reports.

The Times reports that Hull "has inspired more than the usual share of sensational headlines, most involving his tumultuous private life. Last week, he released divorce records, including an order of protection taken out against him by one of his former wives, Brenda Sexton. In the 1998 order, she described Mr. Hull as 'a violent man with an ungovernable temper' who once hit her on the shin and threatened to kill her.

"As a women's group called on Mr. Hull to quit the race and at least one poll showed Mr. Hull's popularity sinking, Mr. Hull took out a full-page advertisement in The Chicago Tribune, which read in part: 'Here are the facts: she kicked me three times, I asked her to stop before finally hitting her leg and I used some bad language. That is the sum total of what happened.'"

Brotherly Love: Despite being in Texas this weekend, President Bush was a no-show at his bother Neil Bush's wedding over the weekend. After a year rife with divorce, paternity rumors and an angry ex-wife, Neil Bush married Maria Andrews, who was once a volunteer to former First Lady Barbara Bush, the New York Post reported. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Neil's eldest daughter, model Laura Bush, skipped the wedding but former President Bush and his wife, Barbara were there.

The marriage took place less than a year after Neil's divorce with his wife, Sharon, of 23 years. The family affair got muddier when Andrews' ex-husband sued Sharon with defamatory charges after she accused Neil of fathering a child with Andrews.

Quote of the Day: "For John Kerry, being rebellious is having red wine with fish." --Time's Matt Cooper at a seminar on political humor (AP)