Our picks in Senate races

The race for U.S. Senate is wide open because the current, appointed occupant, Sen. George LeMieux, pledged not to run when he succeeded Mel Martinez last year.

The Democratic primary between frontrunners U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and billionaire businessman Jeff Greene has taken a nasty turn, which could work to the benefit of Gov. Charlie Crist, who left the Republican Party this year to run as an independent when it became clear he would lose the primary to Republican challenger Marco Rubio, a former speaker of the Florida House.

The Democratic race also includes former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre. Rubio has drawn primary challenges from two unheralded candidates. This should be no contest. In the Republican primary, the Tribune endorses Marco Rubio.

Meek's march of inevitability to his party's nomination came to an abrupt end when Greene, who made his fortune as a real estate investor, made a surprise entry into the race. Greene has attempted to paint Meek as just another corrupt politician, while Meek accuses his opponent of trying to buy the seat.
Meek, 43, has spent most of his professional life in public office. He spent five years working as a trooper for the Florida Highway Patrol and worked for the Wackenhut security company. In 1994 he won a state House race and in 1998 moved on to the state Senate. In 2002 he succeeded his mother, Carrie Meek, in Congress, where he has served since.

His record in Congress is relatively sparse. His is a reliable vote for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for which he was rewarded with a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He voted for the Democrats' spending bills to boost the U.S. economy as well as the new health care law. He also supports high-speed rail for Florida and would vote for cap and trade legislation. He believes Social Security could be fixed with some adjustments.

Meek first came to public attention in 2000 when he led a 25-hour sit-in outside then-Gov. Jeb Bush's office to protest the governor's executive order banning race preferences in state contracting and university admissions. Bush agreed to changes in contracting, and the incident brought national exposure to Meek.

Meek also led the state effort that resulted in the passage of a constitutional amendment limiting the number of students per classroom.

This year the candidate drew unwanted attention when the Miami Herald reported his former district director received a $13,000 loan from developer Dennis Stackhouse, who has been charged with fraud and grand theft in connection with a proposed industrial park in Meek's district that never came to pass. Stackhouse also paid Meek's mother $90,000 in consultation fees and bought her a Cadillac.

These incidents seem typical for Washington, but Meek claims no ethical breech.

"I have a stellar public record. Nowhere in my history has there ever been anything remotely unethical," he said.

Meek points out correctly that Greene doesn't have a track record, but we're not so sure the billionaire "has been part and parcel of the misery that is hitting the people of Florida," as Meek puts it.
Greene believes a successful businessman such as himself could help resolve the economic problems facing the country. He believes the government has to spend to create jobs before deficits can be brought under control.

He differs little from Meek on most issues. He is sketchy on many topics, but is confident he would be a quick study in Washington, and he probably would be. But his flamboyant lifestyle and changing stories about a boat trip to Cuba and other incidents are bothersome.

Ferre's campaign has never caught fire, which is too bad. The former Miami mayor, 75, served in both local and state government posting solid accomplishments with no scandals during his public career. He understands the issues important to Floridians.

We enjoyed our interview with Greene, but we simply don't know enough about him to offer a thumbs up. But Meek's mainstream Democratic politics and his respectable career are there for all to see. For the U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary, the Tribune endorses Kendrick Meek.