Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) has gone on record as stating that separation between church and state is "a lie." Her comments were made in an interview she gave to the Florida Baptist Witness, a publication of the Florida Baptist Convention, and subsequently reported by the Associated Press.
"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin," Harris said. She went on to say not only that separation between church and state is "a lie," but also that "....God is the one that choose our rulers."
Harris is best known for her actions surrounding the presidential election in November of 2000 when, as Florida's chief elections official, she made key decisions which awarded Florida's electoral votes to George W. Bush -- an election so full of controversy that it was ultimately decided by the US Supreme Court. Harris's boss was Florida Governor John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, the president's older brother.
Harris subsequently won election to the US Congress and is presently running for the Republican Party's nomination for the Senate. The Republican candidate will face incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson. Florida Governor "Jeb" Bush is prohibited by Florida law from running again for that office, having served two terms as the state's chief executive.
In recent months, however, Harris's candidacy has been troubled by allegations she accepted a $32,000 in campaign contributions from a corrupt defense contractor. And this past May, Gov. "Jeb" Bush publicly stated his view that Harris could not win an election against Nelson.
Harris has continued her campaign despite requests from certain quarters of the Florida GOP that she withdraw. The Party primaries take place in Florida on September 5th.
In the wake of her comments to Florida Baptist Week, the Harris campaign issued a statement yesterday that she was "speaking to a Christian audience, addressing a common misperception that people of faith should not be actively involved in government." The statement went on to affirm Harris's belief in "Judeo-Christian values" and referred to her support for Israel.
Nevertheless, the Associated Press reported that some Republicans were quickly distancing themselves from Harris's comments.
The ultra-right has made open courtship of evangelical and fundamentalist Christians a key part of its strategy for several decades. Recently, however, fissures have started to appear in this alliance -- particularly around the US military occupation of Iraq.
The utterances of Katherine Harris may well constitute the last gasp effort by a troubled campaign to appeal to what it perceives as its evangelical/fundamentalist base. What is certain is that Harris has made statements which, in one fell swoop, deny the separation of church and state and reassert the "divine right" to rule previously claimed by absolute monarchs.
