Former health care executive Rick Scott is spending $3.7 million in the final week of the Florida Republican primary for governor, reports The Buzz.
Since airtime costs roughly $1 million a week, be sure that Scott will be all over the airwaves. This buy is the largest of his insurgent campaign to date. The 527 groups associated with his campaign, Let’s Get to Work, spent $600,000 on a media buy on Aug. 11, according to the group’s website. Scott and Let’s Get to Work have spent around $38 million so far in the primary since Scott announced his candidacy in mid-April.
Scott’s latest ad attempts to tie his opponent, McCollum, to former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer. When Scott attacked the Florida A.G. for “stalling” an investigation into Greer after his arrest for scamming the party out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through a front company, 12 local Republican chairs sent an angry letter to Scott calling his attacks baseless.
His opponent, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, bought $1.6 million for air time, in addition to an ad buy of an unspecified amount by his associated 527, the Florida First Initiative. FFI’s ad asked Rick Scott to release his deposition in a lawsuit against a healthcare company he founded, Solantic. Scott refused to do so at a press conference called after The Florida Independent asked Scott to answer questions about allegations that Solantic overbilled Medicare and used doctor’s licenses and names without their permission.
Though the outcome of the primary is in doubt as a recent poll shows McCollum and Scott in a virtual tie, one thing is certain —Florida television viewers will be seeing a whole lot of ads before Aug. 24.
