KEEPING THE CARDS CLOSE TO HIS VEST

Congressman Mark Foley (R - Jupiter) --- not to be confused with WWE superstar Mick Foley --- is keeping mum on the possibility of running for the U.S. Senate.

According to this mention in Jeremy Wallace's Sarasota Herald Tribune blog Political Insider, Foley says he is just watching and that while he doesn't want to spoil fellow Congresswoman Katherine Harris' (R - Sarasota) dream, he is looking to see if she can change the minds of independents. Recent polls show that indies heavily favour Democratic incumbant Bill Nelson.

While Harris is expected to raise a hefty amount of money from the religious right, Foley would not be exactly starting from scratch. He has approximately $2.3 million in his campaign account the he can use for either a reelection bid to his House seat, or begin what would be a most interesting GOP primary.

I actually don't believe Foley will jump in. My senses tell me that he doesn't have the heart to wage a Senate campaign when he has a fairly safe seat now, and a Republican primary would bruise both he and Harris before one could even begin to challenge Nelson.