Rick Scott Campaigning Early & Hard
BY BUDDY NEVINS
You’ve got wonder whether Gov. Rick Scott has the stamina to keep it up for another 18 months.
Scott doesn’t even have a credible Democratic opponent, yet he is running like its two weeks before the election.
On Monday, Scott launched his Teachers Pay Raise Pep Rally Tour. It got media coverage across Florida. He started at Piper High School in Sunrise then went to schools in West Palm Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville.
On Tuesday, he started in Fort Myers by announcing that Hertz was moving its worldwide headquarters and 700 jobs to Estero, Florida from Park Ridge, New Jersey. He then flew to a middle school in Ocoee to continue his teachers pay raise tour.
Wednesday Scott was on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” morning show at 7:30 a.m., bragging about the Hertz move. Then it was a speech in Fort Lauderdale to discuss the impact of federal budget sequestration on hurricane readiness.
Meanwhile, his Tallahassee media office churned out news releases trumpeting everything from the 130 top Florida students winning National Merit Scholarships to Chief Executive Magazine naming the Florida the #2 state in the nation to do business “edging closer to knocking Texas off the top spot.”
Scott’s media team may call all this “governing.” Make no mistake. Scott is really campaigning.
The governor is campaigning to improve his standing in the polls.
He is campaigning to so that independents, conservative Democrats, women and maybe even teachers take a second look at a governor they had written off.
From the Democrats? Not a peep.
They Ds have no candidate yet, unless you count former state Sen. Nan Rich of Weston. If you think she is a plausible challenger for Scott, you’d be the only one.
Former Gov. Charlie Crist hasn’t stepped up…yet. No word from U. S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
Zero.
While Crist and Nelson quietly mull over a run, we’ll hear a lot more from our governor.
My only question is whether the 60-year-old Scott can keep up this pace until November 2014.
May 9th, 2013 at 2:51 am
you run Buddy!
May 9th, 2013 at 7:52 am
The gallery of characters who ran in primaries back in 2009-2010 made any choice a choice of the lesser of two evils. Really, Jeff Green? Alex Sink? Bill McCollum?
Nelson beat Connie Mack for senator because Connie Mack was so weak of a candidate – it won’t work for Nelson for Governor.
By the time voters get to polls in August 2014 primary they will have wisened up even more as a result of WashDC shenanigans exposed, failed leadership in general and state of economy in FL. Scott would not stand a chance nect to Crist.
May 9th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
The Dems don’t have a credible candidate??????
Charlie Christ is clearly going to run. He didn’t become a Democrat for any other reason and he is a dozen points up on Scott.
Exactly how much more would he have to be up on Scott to be credible????
Could Scott and a $100 million destroy Christ? Maybe. Will he be able to pull it off?
Quien sabe?
FROM BUDDY:
Charlie Crist would be a legit candidate. He’s not formally running yet. There has been significant speculation that he won’t run and Bill Nelson will make the race.
Bottom line: Rick Scott is running hard. The Ds haven’t got a challenger at this time.
May 9th, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Did I not hear that our great state of Florida paid 19 million dollars to Hertz to make this move?
May 9th, 2013 at 8:21 pm
I may sit home on election day. I, as a Rep, am not too fond of Scott for a number of his decisions not the least is his wanting to accept borrowed money from the Feds for a promised 3 year only expansion of Medicaid. As if any entitlement program can be so easily cut back.
But if the Dems run Crist, Nelson, or any of their far left types, I might be motivated to vote anyway to keep Scott in office.
Maybe Scott will select Weathorford to be his Lt Gov on the 2014 ballot who had the balls to thanfully stand up against more public money being given to a sports club owner. That is if Scott doesn’t use his line item veto to kill Weathorford’s community college pork in the pork laden 2013 state budget.
May 9th, 2013 at 10:16 pm
so crist isn’t running or is he jsut being coy?
I will not vote for nelson. he is an old codger who needs to serve out his six year senate term he was just elected to, THEN consider other aspirations. I’m tired of electeds who get in (again) then resign to run. If nelson didn’t want ANOTHER term in the Senate, why didn’t he let other qualified younguns step up to run? power grabbing so that also disqualifies him from being guv. I may not vote for scott but then I’ll just skip that line on the ballot.
May 10th, 2013 at 2:03 am
Is this really Florid a duh? Scott must think we are morons. He and his buddies beat the you know what out of us and then says I am so sorry I won’t do that again. Here’s a gift, please tell me all is forgiven. I will never do that to you again, really this time I mean it. Instead of forgiveness just show the bum the door.
May 10th, 2013 at 4:33 pm
I would proudly support Charlie Crist over Bill Nelson. I believe Charlie will run and win.
May 10th, 2013 at 8:54 pm
I would support Charlie too if he make me Sheriff again so I could lie, cheat, and steal while being paid by tax money again. I hate Scott Israel soooo much because he exposed me the last time around.
May 11th, 2013 at 6:34 am
How about a Crist- Parrish ticket? Yes!
May 12th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Lori Parrish is the most powerful politician in this county right now. If there were a county wide strong mayor, as there ought to be, she would win hands down. When she gets behind someone, they win. And she is loyal, so loyal. Solid.
…and that’s the bottom line ‘cuz Stone Cold says so!
May 14th, 2013 at 7:29 pm
Rick Scott just said he thinks Allen West “is a great American and a great patriot… he’d be a great Lieutenant Governor.”
http://www.970wfla.com/articles/local-news-124415/scott-allen-west-would-make-great-11275713