Even as most Americans are focusing on the Super Bowl on Sunday, the two leading candidates in Floridas gubernatorial race continue to ramp up the attacks.
The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) announced Friday it will be hitting former Gov. Charlie Crist in a new Web ad with a significant six-figure digital ad buy. Crist is the favorite for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to challenge Gov. Rick Sott in November despite spending most of his political career as a Republican.
The Web video bashes Crists economic record in Tallahassee. Which goevrnor took Florida to the bottom? Charlie Crist, the narrator of the ad says before attacking Crist for not running for a second term but instead opting to run for the U.S. Senate back in 2010. Whats worse, he didnt stay to fix the mess. He ran away, tried to go to Washington instead. Charlie Crist: slick politician, lousy governor.
The ad can be viewed here.
Crist pushed back on Friday in an email to supporters, insisting attacks against him were being funded by millionaires and special interests who are bankrolling Rick Scott's campaign to tear us down. Continuing on the attack, Crist insisted, Rick Scott has benefited from support of ... big-money donations from Florida's wealthiest lobbyists.
They are desperate to drown us out because they know that unlike Governor Scott, I will never bow to special interests at the expense of the people, Crist added. These lobbyists have another thing coming!
Former state Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich also continued to make the case that Democrats should support her gubernatorial bid instead of backing Crist, who joined the party in December 2012 after leaving the GOP in 2010 to run for the U.S. Senate with no party affiliation.
Earlier in the week, meeting with the media in Tallahassee on Wednesday, Crist said he backed President Barack Obamas proposal to raise the minimum wage to $10.10. Crist said he would work to raise the minimum wage in Florida if Obama cannot succeed in doing so at the federal level.
Rich weighed in on Thursday saying that Floridians can trust her instead of Scott or Crist on the issue.
Now that the $10.10 minimum wage idea has support from Barack Obama, I think voters should hear which candidate for governor has supported this idea from the start, Rich insisted.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
