Maurice Ferre Sues for Entry to Debate Between Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene

Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre, a longshot hopeful for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race, announced on Sunday that he is suing Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association for leaving him out of a debate to be held in Orlando on Tuesday.

Ferre claims that the criteria to be included in the debate were the results of a Mason-Dixon poll that was supposed to be taken earlier in the summer but was never conducted. Ferre added that the two groups were excluding him based on a poll released earlier in August.

"The press is the fourth power that keeps us a free country, said Ferre. How can you exclude someone and say that is serving the public?"

Ferre would be very dangerous in a debate. He is articulate and very knowledgeable (this reporter had the pleasure of listening to Ferre expound on William Howard Tafts policy in Latin America earlier in the year). But he has also been a complete non-factor in the battle between Jeff Greene and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek for the Democratic nomination.

Far behind in terms of fund-raising and the polls, the Ferre camp clearly recognizes that getting its candidate in the debate is the only way to pull Ferre out of the single digits he currently polls and even have the attempt to make him a factor in the race.

UPDATE: A circuit judge denied Ferre's motion on Monday--meaning he will not be in the debate.