50 Million Dollar Primary
August 19th, 2010 by flanewsThe gloves are off and the bank is open in the Republican Primary for Governor. Combined Rick Scott and Bill McCollum have spent more than 50 million dollars attacking each other on TV, and as Whitney Ray tells us, the total could reach 60 million before Tuesday’s primary, and it’s already the most expensive primary in Florida history.
The theme music of Rick Scott’s latest attack ad is fitting for the entire Republican Gubernatorial Primary.
“Money, money, money, money, money,” the ad chats.
Rick Scott has spent 40 million of his own dollars on TV ads, catapulting him from a no-named wannabe politician to a serious candidate for governor. The multi-millionaire is forcing Bill McCollum to burn through his war chest, spending more than 13 million dollars to attack Scott.
All the spending may be diluting the pool. Political Talk Show host Gary Yordon says the more the ads run, the less effective they are.
“We’ve reached a saturation point. I think right now, what voters are hearing is noise,” said Yordon.
The ads may be fueling a surge in early voters. More than 200-thousand Floridians have already cast a primary ballots. Cheryl Page is one of them.
Reporter: Do you believe those ads?
Cheryl: No
Reporter: Why Not?
Cheryl: Cause I think I should use my own judgment.”
But Democratic frontrunner Alex Sink is paying attention, and she’s cashing this week spending a million dollars to launch her first ad.
Just a day after Sink launched her ad, a spot attacking her history as a banker began to play. And according to the latest Quinnipiac poll Sink would beat either Republican nominee. She also has just over five million dollars left to run on.
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