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Recount unlikely

• Andy Gallacher
• 3 Nov 06, 01:06 AM

has battled on here in Florida despite her staffing problems and a considerable gap in the polls.

The woman best remembered for backing George Bush in the imbroglio has lost campaign staff in droves and initially didn't have the backing from state Republican leaders.

But the 49-year-old is hoping that her final debate with Democratic incumbent may have closed that chasm.

"I just hope that I reached out to the hearts and minds of people," she said after a debate that was dominated by Iraq.

It was a heated exchange, with both Ms Harris and Mr Nelson repeatedly interrupting each other. At times Mr Nelson wagged his finger at Ms Harris, shaking his head in frustration.

Katherine Harris wouldn't say whether she would have voted for the war in Iraq if she'd known there were no weapons of mass destruction, while Bill Nelson told the audience he would have voted against the war.

Ms Harris did call for a "new strategy" in Iraq, suggesting that the country be divided up into three regions for the Sunnis, Shias and Kurds. She also told voters that Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice-President Dick Cheney had performed "adequately" in their jobs.

According to the , Katherine Harris trails her opponent by more than 12 points. She may once have been the darling of the Republican Party for her role in the 2000 recount - but during this campaign she's been dogged by problems and abandoned by her own party.

Andy Gallacher is the ±«Óãtv's Miami correspondent.