Television Ad War Kicks Off in Florida Governor's Race with Attack Ads

The governor's race in Florida has gotten off to a fiery start with two attack ads hitting the airwaves. The Republican Governor's Association (RGA) released a 15-second ad criticizing Democrat Alex Sink's banking career, while the Florida Democratic Party plans to start airing its own spot tomorrow. Both ads will appear in markets around the state and have spent at least $100,000, with the RGA investing several hundred thousand dollars.

Key Takeaways:

• The RGA ad accuses Sink of eliminating thousands of Florida jobs while serving as bank president, and taking over $8 million in salary and bonuses.
• The ad claims Sink is "one of them," implying she is out of touch with ordinary Floridians.
• The Sink campaign responded by pointing out that she spent decades supporting businesses and families during her banking career, and that McCollum contributed to the deregulation of the banking industry that led to the economic crisis.
• The Florida Democratic Party released an ad criticizing McCollum for voting to raise his own pay four times, and for voting for debt limit increases five times, which helped to increase the national debt by $4.7 trillion.
• McCollum's campaign responded, calling the ad "weak and misleading," and saying it is an attempt by the Democratic Party to salvage a message-less campaign.

Statistics:

• The RGA spent several hundred thousand dollars on its ad buy.
• The Florida Democratic Party spent at least $100,000 on its ad buy.
• Alex Sink took over $8 million in salary and bonuses while serving as bank president.
• Bill McCollum voted four times to raise his own pay, totaling $51,000.
• The national debt increased by $4.7 trillion since McCollum voted for debt limit increases.

Sources:

• Republican Governor's Association (no date);
• Florida Democratic Party (no date);
• Pinellas News (in print edition only);
• various online news sources.