Some bad news for Florida (and national) Democrats: State Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has announced that she isn't running for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring GOPer Mel Martinez.

Had she entered the primary, Sink would have started out as the immediate frontrunner and probably a slight favorite for the general election, too. Rep. Kendrick Meek is running in the Democratic primary, and is currently the only announced candidate from either party. Meek could very well be a strong candidate -- and at least one other Dem, state Sen. Dan Gelber, is indicating he'll be getting in, too -- but Sink would have started out in an even better position.

So far both parties have managed to lose a top potential recruit for this seat: Sink on the Dem side, and Jeb Bush for the Republicans.

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL) has officially announced his bid for the Senate, the first declared candidate from either party for the seat of retiring one-term GOP Sen. Mel Martinez.

Meek has a potentially attractive profile for a Senate candidate. He played football for Florida A&M, then became a policeman and later was elected to the state legislature in the 1990s. In 2002 he was elected to Congress after the retirement of his mother, Rep. Carrie Meek. If elected, he would be the first black senator from the South since Reconstruction.

Other Democrats are said to be looking at the race, and the Republican field is still sorting itself out after Jeb Bush announced that he won't be running.

Jeb Bush has announced that he is not running for Senator from Florida, dealing a blow to the GOP's chances to hold on to their open seat here.

Jeb told the Associated Press that his brother's poor poll numbers were not a factor: "While I'm proud of my brother and I love my brother ... people know that I'm Jeb Bush and I don't think that would have been a problem."

Truth be told, Jeb is probably right on this one. While the Bush name is generally a loser at this point, the name "Jeb" is still popular in Florida. He would have been the best possible candidate the Republicans could have lined up.

That said, this is Florida, so expect a close race until undeniable evidence to the contrary pops up. And the state GOP still has a very deep bench to draw from, including possible candidates who were holding off until Jeb made his decision.

The St. Petersburg Times reports that Florida Republicans are running into a problem in holding on to the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Mel Martinez: Their absolute best potential candidate, Jeb Bush, is starting to seem reluctant about making the race.

"I put it at dead even -- 50/50," said former Jeb aide Justin Sayfie, who met with Bush a few weeks ago. "I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to run, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided not to run." After Martinez first announced his retirement, state Republicans were generally sounding much more optimistic than this about lining up Jeb.

Even if Bush doesn't run, though, the GOP does have a few things going for them: The Republican primary is nearly 20 months away (it's held in late August), and the state party has a whole lot of elected officials making up a very deep bench. They would have plenty of time to find someone else and to make it a real race in the country's biggest swing state. But it would probably be much more difficult.

Obama Presser Today; Expected To Name Richardson For Commerce
Barack Obama has a press conference scheduled for 11:40 a.m. ET in Chicago, at which he is expected to announce the nomination of Bill Richardson for Secretary of Commerce. This is another step in Obama's efforts to project the image of competent national leadership on the economy, in order to counteract the negative effects that the presidential interregnum seems to be having on the financial markets.

Biden And Napolitano To Receive Briefing On WMD
Joe Biden and Janet Napolitano will be in Washington this morning for a briefing from former Senators Bob Graham (D-FL) and Jim Talent (R-MO), who head up the Congressionally-created Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Obama Still Looking For Intelligence Chief
The Washington Post points out that while Barack Obama has filled out most of his national-security team, he still faces tough choices in selecting his appointees to the intelligence posts. After John Brennan withdrew his name in the face of liberal opposition, current top names floating around are retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), and former Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre.

Bush For Senate (Jeb, That Is) In 2010?
Jeb Bush says he is considering a run for Senate in 2010, for the open seat of retiring GOP Sen. Mel Martinez. On the one hand the Bush name at this point isn't exactly a positive in most of the country -- but Jeb himself still has a solid reputation in the state where he was governor, and would probably be a solid candidate for the GOP and even a slight favorite in this swing state.

Senate Dems Working On "Saxbe Fix" For Hillary
The New York Times reports that Senate Democrats were working last night on the so-called "Saxbe Fix" -- that is, to reverse a recent pay-raise for the Secretary of State in order to prevent Hillary Clinton from being ineligible for the office under the Emoluments Clause. The right-wing (and anti-Clinton) legal group Judicial Watch is already declaring her appointment unconstitutional, but expect this one to be resolved pretty easily and with a decent body of precedent in Hillary's favor.

Report: Becerra Considering Trade Representative Appointment, Hasn't Accepted Yet
Roll Call reports that Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) is considering -- but has not yet accepted -- an offer to become Barack Obama's trade representative. If he were to accept the offer, Becerra would have to give up 16 years of seniority in the House, which has earned him a seat on the Ways and Means Committee and the vice-chairmanship of the House Dem Caucus.

DC Council's Stimulus Plan: 24-Hour Bar Times For Inauguration
The DC City Council has passed legislation to allow bars to remain open for 24 hours a day from January 17 to the morning of January 21, right after the inauguration, with the ability to serve food the whole time and to serve alcohol until 5 a.m. This measure, which is being undertaken in order to boost the local economy and accommodate the expected avalanche of spectators for the big event, is either a really good idea or a really bad idea.

We might just have our first open swing Senate seat of the 2010 cycle, with the Orlando Sentinel reporting that GOP Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida will be announcing at a press conference this morning that he isn't running again.

If true, this could actually be good news for the GOP, complicating a major pickup opportunity for the Democrats in their quest to get to 60 seats. Martinez just narrowly won this seat in 2004, running as a loyal Bush supporter at a time when that was actually a plus. But recent polling has suggested he would probably lose against just about any Democrat.

An open-seat race could change things, assuming Martinez does announce his retirement, as the state GOP has a very strong bench. Look for the national GOP to try to recruit popular Gov. Charlie Crist, but if they can't do that there are still plenty of other prominent elected Republicans in the state that they can pick from.

At the end of the day, though, this is still Florida -- so expect a close race.

Late Update: It's worth pointing out that the other open Senate seat already on the table is in Kansas, where Sam Brownback is retiring. But that's a deep-red state and it isn't a swing seat -- at least not yet, unless Dems are able to recruit Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Late Late Update: Martinez has made it official.

Today: Senate Dems Vote On Lieberman's Chairmanship
Today is the day when the Senate Democratic Caucus will vote on whether to let Joe Lieberman keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The Dems are widely expected to let Lieberman keep the chairmanship and instead merely strip him of a minor Environment and Public Works subcommittee chairmanship, despite widespread outrage among grassroots Democrats over Lieberman's attacks against Barack Obama throughout the campaign.

WaPo: Lieberman Getting Rid Of McCain Bumper Sticker
The Washington Post reports that Joe Lieberman is in the process of removing the McCain bumper sticker from his car. On the one hand this is probably a good move going into the Democratic caucus vote on his chairmanship -- but on the other hand, it's only been scratched off halfway.

No Obama Or Biden Public Events Today
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be holding private meetings in Chicago today, and do not have any public events scheduled.

NYT: Vetting Of Bill Clinton Intensifies
The New York Times reports that the Obama transition team is stepping up its vetting of Bill Clinton's foundation and speaking engagements, and could end up asking him to separate himself from all that work if Hillary is to be appointed to the cabinet. "It's not just what he does or says -- it's the fact that the foundation is involved with foreign countries, some of which might well be in conflict with U.S. policy," said Abner Mikva, an Obama adviser and retired federal judge.

Up To Four Million People Could Attend Inauguration
The Washington Post reports that the federal and D.C. municipal governments are preparing for as many as four million people to try to attend Barack Obama's inauguration in January. Officials are proposing opening up large section of the Mall and setting up extra JumboTrons in order to accommodate the potential massive crowd.

Hoyer: Expanded Dem Majority Won't Turn Left
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will tell the National Press Club today that the new Democratic dominance on Capitol Hill will be approached pragmatically, instead of running hard to the left. "For the first time in decades, we are a true national majority party -- and if we want to stay that way, we must govern like one," Hoyer will say, according to prepared remarks.

Poll: GOP Sen. Martinez In Serious Danger
A new Quinnipiac poll finds Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) with some pretty lackluster numbers, with only 42% of Florida voters approving of him and 33% disapproving. In a match-up with a generic Democrat for his 2010 re-election campaign, the generic Dem leads with 40% to Martinez's 36% -- an abysmal showing for an incumbent.

Senator Mel Martinez's (R-FL) will reportedly resign today from his position as "general chairman" of the Republican National Committee, a move that has been expected for some time.

In his statement, Martinez will say that he has accomplished his goals as general chairman, and wants to focus his energies on his work in the Senate.

The general chairman position was created as an honorary role specifically for Martinez after the 2006 debacle — when Republican defeats were exacerbated by a sharp decline in the Latino vote — with longtime GOP operative Mike Duncan as the party's chairman.

However, Martinez had his own clashes with the party on the immigration issue over the past year — the same issue that has contributed so much to the Republican collapse with Hispanic voters.

GOP Senate candidate Katherine Harris --who's trailing Dem Senator Bill Nelson by as much as 28 points in recent polls -- is now questioning Nelson's religious faith. The Orlando Sentinel reports today that in a recent interview with a Christian news outlet, Harris opined that Nelson "claims to be Christian" but legislates "completely contrary to what we say we believe.”"Nelson -- who's been chairman of the National Prayer Breakfast and brought a Bible on the Space Shuttle in 1986 -- shot back: "my faith is the essence of my being. But it is part of my life I don’t feel I should try to take advantage of in the public square." Last month, Harris observed that the failure to elect Christian lawmakers amounts to "legislating sin."

Katherine Harris wants to get to the bottom of Foleygate -- that is, the role in the scandal allegedly played by Democrats and the media. Today's Miami Herald reports that Harris had this to say about the Foley scandal: "We are going to be very interested to find out who in the media or on the other side of the aisle knew about this and kept it from the public interest because our children were at stake." The DSCC quickly rejoined that unlike other Republicans, Harris has yet to return the $2,000 she received from Foley.

Does Katherine Harris have a secret cyber-admirer in India? That's the question being raised by a bunch of pro-Harris comments that have been popping up to refute anti-Harris messages on several Florida blogs. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the comments have been linked to different email addresses, but all share the same IP address in Western India. Some are speculating that the use of an Indian IP address constitutes a clever effort to conceal the origin of the posts. But the stiff writing style suggests foreign origin, leading a local blogger to crack that Harris is "outsourcing campaign support to India." More on Harris' mysterious cyber-friend after the jump.

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In the race for the seat being vacated by GOP Senate candidate Katherine Harris, Dem Christine Jennings has taken an eight point lead over Republican Vern Buchanan, a new poll by Dem firm Hamilton Beattie & Staff has found. Though the district is heavily Republican -- and the poll sample was 51% Republicans to 38% Dems -- Jennings is leading Buchanan 48%-36% among registered voters.

The Katherine Harris campaign is claiming that outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush will campaign on their behalf.  The Florida State GOP and Governor’s office say otherwise, “No such commitment exists.”

The Harris and Nelson campaigns have agreed to two debates in the lead up to the November election.  The first will be at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, the second will be at the University of Central Florida, and will be moderated by NBC’s Tim Russert and will be featured on Florida’s NBC affiliates.

Not wanting to disappoint Bill Nelson supporters in the wake of yesterday’s fundraising e-mail warning of the coming influx of negative campaigning from Katherine Harris, Ms. Harris has made it clear that the theme of her campaign will be attacks on the “ultra-liberal” Bill Nelson.  She referred to Nelson as a “liberal” no less than four times in a speech that clocked in at just less than four minutes.  Harris cites the usual Republican boilerplate about partial birth abortion, gay marriage, and tax cuts as evidence of Nelson’s out of touch, liberal policies.  Leading by 25 points in the polls, Nelson has yet to mention Ms. Harris in any official capacity.

Barely hours after Katherine Harris had secured the GOP nomination for Senate, the campaign of Dem incumbent Senator Bill Nelson fired off a fundraising email telling them to brace for an "increase in the level of distortions and negativity" from the oddball GOP nominee. (Harris? Negative? Naah.) But Harris probably won't have much help going after Nelson from from the state GOP. Florida GOP chair Carol Jean Jordan has already issued statements congratulating Charlie Crist on his victory in the GOP gubernatorial primary. But about Harris, not a single word.

Despite the string of gaffes and pratfalls that turned the Katherine Harris campaign into little more than an ongoing sit-com, Harris easily won last night's Senate primary, taking 49 percent of the vote while her challengers languished double-digits behind. Harris now faces a daunting general election against incumbent Dem Senator Bill Nelson, who's demolishing her in the polls. In the GOP primary for governor, moderate Attorney General Charlie Crist won by an even greater margin over conservative Tom Gallagher. Crist will face Rep. Jim Davis, who edged out a six-point win in the Dem primary over State Senator Rod Smith.

In her bid for the Senate, Katherine Harris has picked up an important endorsement from Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas.  So why should one vote for Katherine Harris in the upcoming Republican Primary?  According to Thomas, it’s the pure entertainment value of the ongoing debacle that is the Katherine Harris show.  She has already gone through four press secretaries, four campaign managers, and one speech-writer, so why not go for some record between now and Nov?  Thomas calls her “our very own own Bree Van de Kamp” and urges all his readers to support her, lest the show get canceled before sweeps, “Whether she's hoisting angry possums up by the tail, firing the latest campaign manager, talking to her invisible mice friends Gus and Jaq, or getting Sean Hannity all hot and bothered with that great profile, Katherine is my gal.”

In the latest poll of the Republican primary, attorney Will McBride comes closest to Katherine Harris, trailing 38%-22%. McBride has pitched himself in a TV ad as "a Republican who can win for the U.S. Senate," and has picked up some notable endorsements such as the Orlando Sentinel. A question worth asking: would he be doing better with GOP voters if he didn't share his name with Bill McBride, the 2002 Dem nominee for governor?

The Katherine Harris traveling circus has just hit the airwaves: Harris has launched a TV ad attacking incumbent Dem Senator Bill Nelson. The ad twice calls Harris "gutsy" -- a rather daring euphemism, in our view -- and it slams Nelson as a "do nothing liberal Senator." View the ad here.

Stranger and stranger. Katherine Harris says that a failure to elect Christians will make it possible for lawmakers to "legislate sin." Harris made the comments in an interview with the Florida Baptist Witness. Asked why Florida Baptists should care about this primary election, Harris said in part: "If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you're not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin." Read Harris' full answer after the jump.

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The Katherine Harris follies continue. TPM muckraker's Justin Rood brings word of yet another campaign fiasco: It seems that the Harris campaign bragged that a bunch of high-profile backers would be coming to show their support for her at a campaign rally -- but exactly zero of the nine expected officials bothered to show up.

Katherine Harris campaign gets caught touting the endorsements of...people who never endorsed her. See the details over at TPM muckraker.