As Bill McCollum tries to play catch-up, the Republican gubernatorial candidate appears to have at least one stronghold he can count on: Gainesville.
The capital of the Gator Nation is the home of Stafford Jones, a state Republican Executive Committee member linked to two 527 campaign groups that are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into advertising on McCollum's behalf.
State Sen. Mike Haridopolos, who holds a teaching position at the University of Florida, is in the mix, as well. The Melbourne Republican's Freedom First Committee recently funneled $435,000 to the Citizens Speaking Out Committee, a 527 group for which Jones is treasurer.
While Rick Scott has shelled out some $16 million of his own money for TV ads blanketing the state, Gainesville has been a virtual no-fly zone for the billionaire who vaulted to a 13-point lead in the latest polls.
"He's in nine of 10 media markets -- except for Gainesville," says UF political science professor Daniel Smith.
Scott says he's running a statewide race, but skirting Gainesville may be a tactically shrewd decision.
Jones, chairman of the Alachua County Republican Party, has endorsed McCollum, and the local party apparatus appears to be falling in line behind its cowboy-boot wearing boss.
Federal records list Jones as the local contact for Florida First Initiative, a 527 group that has been airing attack ads against Scott across the state. Earlier this month, the group ran a $600,000 weeklong TV campaign accusing Scott, former president and CEO of Columbia/HCA, of profiting from the largest Medicare fraud in American history.
Another $900,000 in advertising is scheduled by Florida First through July 4, bringing the group's TV outlays to $1.9 million, according to the latest reports.
Recent e-mail solicitations from the organization provided the money-wiring number for its account at M&S Bank in Gainesville.
Like other 527 groups (so named for their federal tax code designation), Florida First doesn't have to file financial reports for another month. State law doesn't require 527s to register with the Florida Division of Elections until nearer to the election.
In Florida First's e-mail solicitation, McCollum campaign attorneys noted that "there are no limits to the amount of money that the organization may accept or spend."
Jones, who did not respond to an e-mail request from Sunshine State News and has declined to speak to the media, appears to be well-connected at many levels.
Elected to the state GOP executive committee last February, he recently helped launch the Citizens Speaking Out Committee and is a founder of War Room Logistics which is described onits Web site as "an electronic communications company specializing in the collection and analyzation of public opinion data and the delivery of electronic messaging."
Even the Gainesville Tea Party -- not to be confused with the state-registered Florida TEA Party -- is getting into the act. The local organization's Web site dishes anti-Scott invective and generally favorable reviews of McCollum -- heightening the suspicion that the "tea" group is working in concert with the Republican Party of Florida.l
Despite all this GOP activity in the shadow of the UF campus, Republicans just aren't much of a factor there.
With Democrats holding a commanding 80,686-42,476 advantage in party registration, Alachua County has one of the weakest Republican bases in the state.
According to the state Division of Elections, 31 Florida counties -- including some smaller ones -- have more GOP voters.
Indeed, the Gainesville media market is expected to account for less than 2 percent of the GOP primary vote on Aug. 24.
If McCollum, with Jones' help, figures to win Alachua County, Scott's camp may well reply, "So what?" But Jones' involvement with 527s makes the Gainesville operative much more than a provincial player.
Brian Crowley, editor of the Crowley Political Report, cited Jones as one of the stars in McCollum's constellation of third-party fund-raisers, dating back to Jones' involvement with the "Don't Bank on (Alex) Sink" ads that appeared before Scott arrived on the scene.
"With these efforts on McCollum's behalf, millions are being spent withoutanyone knowing where the money is coming from or all the players involved," Crowley wrote this week.
"This also begs the question -- if McCollum really doesn't know where the money is coming from for these groups, shouldn't he want to know to protect himself?" Crowley asked.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
