In close governor's race, Charlie Crist and Rick Scott prepare to go head to head

The first of three critical hours that could alter the outcome of the Florida governor's race is Friday, when Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist face off.

Three televised debates, the only times Florida voters will get to see the two together on the same stage, are a high wire act. The audience expects a bravura performance, but the most dramatic moment — and often the only thing anyone remembers — is a fall.


The objectives are simple, but difficult to execute.

Job One: Don't make any mistakes.

Job Two: Get off a memorable one-liner or two.

Job Three: Rattle the other guy enough that he says something dumb.

"You want to practice the Hippocratic Oath and do no harm. And maybe if you're good enough and devious enough to try to coax your opponent into a mistake," said Bob Graham. The former U.S. senator and governor estimated he appeared in 15 to 20 Florida debates during his career, plus another half-dozen during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.

Adding even more potential for drama: the stakes are heightened because the candidates are in a too-close-to-call contest. The two organizations that aggregate poll results show, in effect, a tie: RealClearPolitics has Crist ahead by 1.4 percentage points; HuffPost Pollster has Scott ahead by 0.8.

More than anything else, that means neither candidate can afford to make a mistake.

"If there's a major gaffe of some sort by either candidate, it could be a game changer," said Ed Pozzuoli, a former Broward Republican chairman who served as South Florida or Broward campaign chairman for presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani, George W. Bush and Bob Dole. "Generally, candidates are looking simply to get through the debate as a necessary part of the campaign without making a mistake."

When Crist was elected governor as a Republican in 2006, George LeMieux was his top adviser. LeMieux, who went on to serve in the U.S. Senate, said a debate can suddenly become more significant "if there is a blunder by one of the candidates."

Just ask Alex Sink, the 2010 Democratic nominee for governor.

During a break in a debate with Scott just eight days before Election Day, Sink's makeup artist showed the candidate a smart phone containing a message with a suggested debate tactic — a violation of the rules that Scott immediately pounced on.

"That was the story," said Sean Foreman, a political scientist at Barry University.

The damaging headlines appeared around the state and in the national media: "Florida's Sink cheats during debate," "Alex Sink cheated during debate," "Cheating flap grows as Alex Sink's campaign winds down," and "Debate gaffe dominates Florida governor's race."

That wasn't the kind of attention Sink wanted during the final days of a campaign that she ended up losing to Scott by just 1.2 percentage points.


But former U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, a Democrat who represented Broward and Palm Beach counties, said a candidate shouldn't be hobbled by fear of making a mistake.

"You don't want to make mistakes. But you can't play it too safe. If you play it too safe, you may not appear to connect with people," Klein said. "If you're coming across with a bunch of canned lines that sound like they're talking points, the public doesn't go for that. You come across looking like a trained monkey."

LeMieux said candidates also need to pay attention to non-verbal messages because even things candidates don't say can have an effect. And former U.S. Rep. Larry Smith, D-Hollywood, said there are still more do's and don'ts: Don't freeze. Don't get rattled by a trap question. Don't rush an answer. Don't slow down too much. Be pleasant and smile.

Even if a candidate can manage to pull it all off, winners and losers aren't always clear cut.

With rare exceptions, Foreman said, "You think your candidate won regardless of what happened. [The debate] reinforces your perception of the candidate. So usually you think your guy won."

Often there isn't even much that's new, as candidates present their best lines to predictable questions. "You're going to get the answers you expect," Foreman said. "The campaign's been going on for a long enough time now that there shouldn't be any surprises."

LeMieux said this year's debates could be different. "The tighter the race the more the debates can be game changers," LeMieux said.

The ultimate paradox is that voters say they want debates, so candidates usually agree to avoid the image that they're ducking them. But the reality is that they don't get much of an audience, Foreman said.

Each of this year's debates will air at 7 p.m. on a weekday, competing with game shows and celebrity gossip programs. "It doesn't rank high on people's priorities," Foreman said. "Most people will be watching 'Wheel of Fortune.'", 954-356-4550

Debate details

Each of the hour-long events starts at 7 p.m.

Friday: Spanish-language debate on Telemundo stations originates from Telemundo 51 studios in Miramar. Broadcast on WSCV-Ch. 51 in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market, which can be seen on cable in Palm Beach County, and WTMO-Ch. 31 in the Orlando market.

Oct. 15: Leadership Florida-Florida Press Association debate originates from Broward College in Davie. Broadcast on WFOR-Ch. 4, in the Miami-Fort-Lauderdale Market, WFTV-Ch. 9 in the Orlando market, WPBF-Ch. 25 in the West Palm Beach market.

Oct 21: Debate originates from WJXT-Ch. 42 studios in Jacksonville. Shown on CNN.