GOP targets Florida

Voters will make a decision in Florida next Tuesday.

MIAMI (AP) — John McCain courted the Cuban vote Monday and reminded Florida voters of his history in the state, though he may have alienated hurricane-weary voters with his opposition to national catastrophe insurance.

Meanwhile, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. at a lengthy memorial service Monday at King’s old church in Atlanta and was endorsed by several black religious leaders.

Florida has emerged as a showdown state for Republican rival Rudy Giuliani, who has been campaigning here for weeks while McCain focused on his successful strategy to win New Hampshire and then South Carolina.

“I’ve been in this state for decades,” the Arizona senator said, mentioning at every stop from Miami to Jacksonville that he has lived, worked and campaigned for others in Florida in the past.

He also told local reporters in a hurricane strike zone that he did not support national catastrophe insurance — a position certain to rankle some Floridians and, perhaps, draw fire from his opponents.

“I believe that this nation and federal government has an obligation to help out in any tragedy or natural disaster,” McCain said during a round-table. “Very badly, we need to fix our ability to bring relief, help and assistance, both short term and long term, to the victims of disaster.”

While Huckabee’s main GOP rivals campaigned in Florida, Huckabee sat quietly through a nearly four-hour King ceremony at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. He was overshadowed by fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton, who received a long ovation for his 18-minute address.

The former president acknowledged Huckabee, who did not speak. “We don’t agree on much, but he is a very good man,” Clinton told the audience of several hundred.

Huckabee said he was willing to put aside campaigning for a half-day to attend the King event, which he called inspiring.

The former Arkansas governor finished second in the South Carolina Republican primary over the weekend after campaigning in which he said the federal government should stay out of disputes over display of the Confederate battle flag in the state. He went to Orlando for a late-afternoon rally and fundraiser Monday and planned to return to Atlanta today for an anti-abortion event.

“Winning Florida would be great,” Huckabee told an Orlando airport crowd of about 100, speaking of the state’s Jan. 29 GOP primary. But winning the nomination is the bigger goal, he said.eorgia,” Huckabee told reporters.

Huckabee’s strong opposition to abortion and gay marriage matches the “high moral values” of many black Americans, said William Owens, founder of a group called the Coalition of African American Pastors.

Recent Florida polls show a tight four-way race in the state that offers its winner a hefty 57 delegates toward the Republican nomination and serves as a gateway to nearly two dozen states that vote on Feb. 5.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney compared himself favorably to two of his Republican White House rivals on Monday yet made no mention of a third, underscoring his strategy for next week’s Florida primary.

In television interviews and personal appearances, Romney said that unlike himself, both McCain and Giuliani would “have a relatively difficult time” strengthening an economy that is in danger of falling into a recession.

The former governor spent part of his time during the day advocating an economic stimulus plan he detailed late last week. It includes immediate tax rebates for individual taxpayers as well as a new, 7.5 percent tax bracket for personal income that currently is taxed at 10 percent. Romney also wants to eliminate the Social Security payroll tax for workers over 65.

After his weekend win in the Nevada caucuses, Romney leads in the delegate chase, and alone among the contenders he has the personal wealth to fund his own campaign in the two dozen primaries and caucuses that will be held on Feb. 5. At the same time, two of his three victories have been in caucuses where he drew little or no competition, and apart from his victory in the Michigan primary, he has had difficulty generating much support in other early states.

McCain won the South Carolina primary, the marquee event on last weekend’s calendar for Republicans.

Giuliani was the national front-runner for a time, but has been forced into a series of gradual retreats in recent weeks, abandoning Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina by turn after concluding they were unwinnable. The result has been to make Florida a must-win state for him.

Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses, but has struggled to expand his base of support.