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Florida Slots Opposition Surfaced Late

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – As reported by the Palm Beach Post Capital: "In the final days before today's referenda in Broward and Miami-Dade counties on whether to allow slot machines at racetracks and jai alai frontons in those counties, Gov. Jeb Bush has laid on a full-court press to defeat the local questions, spending all day Friday in speaking to groups and editorial boards.

"But that effort stands in marked contrast to his involvement in the campaign last fall, which was limited to the occasional public statement and targeted e-mails to Republican supporters.

"…In November, as Bush's brother George W. Bush won re-election as president by 5 percentage points and Republican Mel Martinez became the first Cuban-American United States senator by a single percentage point, the state's parimutuel gambling interests successfully won their initiative to bring slot machines to South Florida by 1.6 percentage points.

"…John Sowinski, an Orlando political consultant who helped gambling opponents this past November as he has in previous campaigns, said the pro-gambling side was helped this time around by the four hurricanes that hit Florida last year and the chaos they caused. He said neither Bush nor the news media focused on the gambling amendment until shortly before the election…"

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