Florida governor’s race

RGA, DGA double down in final week of Florida governor’s race

By MATT DIXON

National groups focused on Florida’s hotly contested governor’s race are gearing up for the final week of the 2018 midterms, giving a last-minute flood of campaign cash and boosting TV and digital campaigns.

The Republican Governors Association this week gave another $1 million to GOP candidate Ron DeSantis‘ political committee, bringing its election cycle total to $3 million. The group also poured another $300,000 into cable TV ads in the Democrat-heavy Palm Beach media market and aimed $1 million towards a digital ad campaign focused on swing voters. It’s the biggest infusion of cash the RGA is doing in any state over the final two weeks of the 2018 midterms.

On the other side, Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum got another $500,000 infusion of cash Wednesday from the Democratic Governors Association, which has put $8.5 million into the race and is Gillum’s biggest direct donor. That’s on top of $1 million it is has given to the Florida Democratic Party to boost its research and minority voter turnout efforts.

Both sides are in final messaging mode of what has been an intensely negative general election.

“The Florida governor’s race is extremely close, but we see clear evidence that Ron DeSantis is surging and in a strong position for victory,” said RGA spokesman Jon Thompson. “We are making key investment in these final days to ensure Florida continues on the right track with a governor in office who will fight for jobs and low taxes.”

David Turner, a DGA spokesman, struck the positive tone Gillum has tried to keep, noting his “inspirational campaign,” before hitting DeSantis and the RGA.

“This lies in stark contrast to the RGA spending the majority of its money through outside entities, an indication they don’t have a lot of faith in Ron DeSantis to make smart decisions,” Turner added.

Both the RGA and DGA have a long history in governor’s races in Florida. As the nation’s largest swing state, both parties see it as strategically important to have a large footprint in Florida headed into presidential election cycles, a dynamic that always attracts national attention.

In 2014, the RGA pumped $18 million into Gov. Rick Scott’s successful re-election bid, while the DGA gave $6 million directly to Democratic nominee Charlie Crist.