Dem AG Candidate Dan Gelber Hits Early Election Sites

Despite the muggy weather, Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, in a tight battle with Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres, campaigned on Monroe Street on Tallahassee on Saturday, across from the Capitol. Surrounded by family, campaign staff and volunteers, Gelber waved at passing cars, shook the hands of early voters and led a round of cheers at passing cars with his bumper stickers.

Its an extra opportunity to get to the voters, said Christian Ulvert, Gelbers campaign manager, who emphasized the importance of having the candidate at an early voting event.

Gelber is crossing the state the next two days and, on Tuesday, will be hitting the polls with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who is supporting his bid. They wont be alone -- most of the candidates for state office are hitting the campaign trail hard as the clock ticks down till the primary elections on Tuesday.

With so much focus on the hotly contested and bitter struggles for the Republican gubernatorial nomination and the Democratic nod for the U.S. Senate race, the campaign teams for candidates running in down ballot races are increasingly active. Besides Gelbers supporters, there were a handful of backers for Erwin Jackson who is running for a seat on the Tallahassee City Council and one volunteer for Curtis Richardson, who is in a close Democratic primary for the Senate seat held by Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee.

Later on Saturday afternoon, an old Dodge pick-up headed down Conner Boulevard in the eastern outskirts of Tallahassee, with loads of signs for Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp who is running for the Republican attorney general nomination -- which will no doubt be set up in key areas for Tuesdays primary.