Democrat Smith to kick off state bus tour today State Sen. Rod Smith plans to travel from Pensacola to Miami to promote his candidacy for the gubernatorial nomination of the Democratic Party

TALLAHASSEE -- The least-known of the four major candidates for governor, state Sen. Rod Smith, will begin a statewide bus tour today from Pensacola to Miami.

Unlike the leading Republican candidates, Tom Gallagher and Charlie Crist, Smith has never campaigned statewide. His Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, consistently bests him in the polls.

MEETING THE DEADLINE

Smith and Davis officially qualified for the Sept. 5 primary on Monday in Tallahassee, delivering their qualifying papers and checks for $7,743.60 each for the governor's race. So did three political unknowns: Democrat Carol Castagnero of Lakeland, Democrat John M. Crotty of Maitland, and Republican Vernon Palmer of Miami.

After qualifying for the ballot, Davis canvassed a Tallahassee neighborhood briefly before he was shut out by rain.

"This is the year we take back our state," he told cheering supporters outside the state Division of Elections, vowing to take government away from the "special interests."

When Davis finished speaking, he accepted a check from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees of Florida, the labor union.

Smith delivered his qualifying papers in Tallahassee and then rode his tour bus to Gainesville, near his hometown of Alachua, to rally with supporters. His tour will make about 15 stops along the 1,100-mile route.

LONG DISTANCE

"It's like running long distance. There's 5,000 meters and then there's a bell lap. This starts the bell lap," Smith said at the Division of Elections office.

Smith and Davis will debate each other Saturday at a fundraiser for the Florida Democratic Party in Fort Lauderdale.