MIAMI, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Campaign officials for former Attorney General Janet Reno said Friday she would begin a tour of Florida in her red pickup truck next week, looking for votes in the race for governor.
The tour is seen as an attempt to reassure voters about her health.
Reno suffers from Parkinson's disease, and fainted two weeks ago in an appearance at Syracuse University in New York Doctors said the two were not related, but the incident sparked a flurry of speculation about her health.
She said the day after the incident she felt fine and has made a number of appearances at her home of south Florida since then.
The "Red Truck Tour" begins on the Alabama border in the Florida Panhandle and will wind up March 12 at her home in the Kendall section of Miami.
Reno is seen as a heavy favorite in the Democratic primary election Sept. 10 over Tampa attorney Bill McBride and three other challengers. But McBride has been showing signs of life with endorsements from several unions, including the teachers and machinists.
Polls show Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, younger brother of President Bush, as a prohibitive favorite in the November general election.
Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg Times reported that $100,000 that Reno loaned her campaign during a lull in donations following the Sept. 11 terrorist campaign could cost her $1 million in state matching funds.
Under state law, candidates who give their campaigns more than $25,000 are banned from receiving state funds. Officials say there is precedent that if the money is paid back, she will be able to get the matching funds.
