SMITH GETS FOUR MAJOR FLORIDA NEWSPAPER ENDORSEMENTS...COULD THIS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY BE TURNING AROUND???

In case you didn't read through the Sunday Florida Editorial Roundup below, State Senator Rod Smith of Alachua earned four endorsements today from major Florida newspapers for the Democratic nomination in the governor's race: The St. Petersburg Times, Lakeland Ledger, Daytona Beach News Journal, and Palm Beach Post. To date, primary rival Congressman Jim Davis of Tampa has received none.

It should also be noted that three of those four endorsements came from newspapers along the important I-4 Corridor, with two of those --- the Times and Ledger --- virtually in Davis' backyard of Tampa, and the other in the traditionally heavy Democratic South Florida area of West Palm Beach.

While Davis still leads in the polls, that lead has noticably slipped in recent weeks. And in another poll conducted for the powerful business group Associated Industries of Florida released a couple of days ago, Davis only leads by one percentage point, 21 - 20. The undecided factor still hangs heavy, with 59 percent of the 600 likely Democratic voters interviewed not having made a decision on who to support.

With just over three weeks remaining before the primary --- and early voting beginning eight days from now --- these developments should make this race even more interesting to watch.