Castor, Martinez fates tied to top of the ticket

[Ahriman]

They're neck and neck. Locked in a horse race. Headed for a photo finish.

Pick your cliché -- they all fit Florida's U.S. Senate race. A new poll shows Democrat Betty Castor and Republican Mel Martinez each garnering 44 percent of the vote on the nose.

Ten percent of the voters haven't made up their minds, according to The Herald/St. Petersburg Times poll. Two percent favor Veterans Party candidate Dennis Bradley.

But the most powerful force driving the Senate race is not undecided voters, or a dark-horse candidate, or any one issue. It's the headline-hogging, commercial-crazy presidential race.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/10006426.htm?1c