The X Man Returns

Seth Gordon

Publicist

Gimenez supporter

He still has support among Hispanics in Miami so all he has to do is let them know he is on the ballot. But he has to get into areas of the county, south of Coconut Grove, where people have not seen his face. But knowing Xavier, he's probably already doing some of that. Meeting with voters is his strongest suit. But I don't think that is enough to win. He also needs to remind people about his first two terms as Miami mayor when he was a good guy and everyone supported him.

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Armando Gutierrez

Lobbyist and campaign consultant

Independent observer

Xavier Suarez needs more Cubans to vote. People think this district is evenly split among Anglos and Hispanics. That's not always the case. For example, my son is Cuban American yet he's registered as an Anglo voter. So he needs to work the Cuban precincts. I ran Jimmy Morales's campaign in 1996. He won because he got 50 percent of the Cuban-American vote.

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Ric Katz

Publicist and campaign consultant

Independent observer

Xavier Suarez should buy a lot of television time and run a series of spots depicting conversations with Suarez where he can show that he is rational and that he has his act together. He's already starting from a negative position. I don't believe he has the time or money to pull it off.

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David Kennedy

Campaign consultant

Gimenez supporter

Meet with as many voters as possible. That has always been Suarez's strength. He is more personable when he is on the campaign trail. But I don't know if he can overcome all the negative press he received during his last term as mayor.

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Bob Levy

Lobbyist and campaign consultant

Gimenez supporter

Xavier Suarez has to solidify his base and then capitalize on Andres Rivero's endorsement by reaching out to his voting bloc. If he can turn out his voters and the people who voted for Andres, Suarez could have enough to win. He should also reach out to all the voters who didn't vote in the primary.

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Jorge Luis Lopez

Attorney, lobbyist, and political fundraiser

Gimenez supporter

In order to prevail, Suarez has to undercut Gimenez's integrity and show voters that he is the lesser of two evils. But that's not going to happen.

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Alberto Lorenzo

Campaign strategist

Gimenez supporter

He's doing what he has to do by bombarding Hispanic voters with attack ads on Spanish-language radio and Anglo voters with attack mailers. He has to create confusion among voters regarding problems he created when he was mayor of Miami by placing the blame on Gimenez.

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Eston "Dusty" Melton

Lobbyist

Gimenez supporter

Suarez needs to get a brain transplant and then go back to Harvard. But that may not be enough. The guy is just too wacky.

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Tomas Regalado

Miami City Commissioner

Suarez supporter

Xavier Suarez needs to tap his fountain of support among Hispanic voters in District 7. He should also tell voters that he is against the $2.9 billion bond issue and the runaway development going on in the City of Miami. Those are key issues that resonate with the voters.

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Andres Rivero

Attorney

Third place in District 7 primary

Suarez supporter

Xavier is moving up. He has a set of endorsements he didn't have in the primary, including the Sierra Club, which is going to help him win support among voters who are concerned about environmental issues and overdevelopment. He also ran a smart strategy in the first round by using most of his money exclusively on mass media. None of his campaign financing went to paid consultants. So he's running a leaner operation and can do more with his campaign war chest.

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Kent Harrison Robbins

Attorney and Sierra Club board member

Suarez supporter

Xavier Suarez has to show people that he is a very personable, honest man despite all the negative things raised about him the last time he held political office.

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Katy Sorenson

Miami-Dade County Commissioner

Independent observer

If Suarez can effectively convey his message to the different constituencies in District 7, he can win.

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Frances Suarez

Attorney and candidate's son

Suarez supporter

Continue with our plan of getting out the vote. We have an army of about 60 nonpaid volunteers. Most of them are young professionals like me who were very successful during the primary by simply thanking people for coming out to vote. We're also going after the people who didn't come out for the primary, and early voters.

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Johnny Winton

Miami City Commissioner

Gimenez supporter