FL-GOV

McCollum Refusing To Endorse Scott In FL-GOV Race

Eric Kleefeld | August 27, 2010, 10:22AM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum (R)

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, who lost the Republican primary for governor on Tuesday in a huge upset to, is still refusing to endorse the man who defeated him for the nomination in a very bitter primary, the self-financing former health care executive Rick Scott.

As the Miami Herald reports, McCollum said he called Scott to "congratulate him and wish him well." But he's not making an endorsement as of now. "I still have serious questions about issues of his character, his integrity, his honestly -- things that go back to Columbia/HCA," said McCollum, referring to Scott's business that paid a record $1.7 billion fine after being investigated for Medicare fraud. "As other voters will do, I will judge him throughout this campaign."

Scott campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Baker was not impressed, and referred back to when McCollum lost the 2004 Senate primary, and took two weeks to endorse Mel Martinez: "It is unfortunate for Bill McCollum that he has chosen to be a sore loser just as he was following his defeat to Sen. Martinez in 2004."

The TPM Poll Average has Democratic nominee Alex Sink leading Scott by 38.8%-30.5%, plus 11.0% for independent Bud Chiles.

FL-GOV

Florida GOP In Disarray After Nasty, Divisive Gov Primary

Eric Kleefeld | August 26, 2010, 8:52AM

Rick Scott

The Florida GOP is facing some serious problems in the wake of former health care executive Rick Scott's upset victory in Tuesday night's gubernatorial primary. As it stands now, the party and its voters face division, bad poll numbers, financial troubles and scandal -- and Scott starts the general election cycle trailing Democratic nominee Alex Sink.

Scott spent $50 million on the race to take down the party establishment's choice, state Attorney General Bill McCollum -- much of it on attack ads against McCollum. And so far, McCollum is not endorsing Scott. His campaign said that McCollum's endorsing Senate nominee Marco Rubio and other GOP candidates, but isn't mentioning Scott.

In fact, McCollum's written concession statement didn't even name Scott -- McCollum only acknowledged his own defeat, and thanked everyone who supported his campaign. "This race was one for the ages. No one could have anticipated the entrance of a multi-millionaire with a questionable past who shattered campaign spending records and spent more in four months than has ever been spent in a primary race here in Florida," McCollum wrote. "While I was disappointed with the negative tone of the race, I couldn't be more proud of our campaign and our supporters for fighting back against false and misleading advertising when we were down by double-digits."

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FL-GOV

AP: Billionaire Rick Scott Beats Bill McCollum In Florida GOP Gov Primary

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2010, 10:53PM

Rick Scott

Only in America: $50 million dollars of his personal fortune later, Rick Scott is the Republican gubernatorial nominee in Florida, the AP projects. Though Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum spoke moments ago and did not concede, with 90% of precincts reporting, Scott leads McCollum 47-43, and the AP and CNN have called the race.

This is how he did it. Starting as virtually a complete unknown, Scott blitzed Florida with TV ads ripping McCollum as an establishment sell-out. McCollum, caught off-guard and underfunded, tried desperately to battle back from the onslaught, emptying his campaign coffers and calling in public support from establishment leaders.

The mainstream Republican party had a reason to fear Scott. He carries with him the baggage of the $1.7 billion in federal fines leveled against his company, Columbia HCA, for Medicare fraud. Plus he's extremely conservative, which could be a tough sell in a general election fight.

But in the end, all the establishment's horses and all of its men couldn't put McCollum together again. His campaign -- never all that exciting in the best of circumstances -- simply couldn't raise the support needed to push McCollum past Scott's big money and conservative message.

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FL-SEN

Today Is Florida Primary Day

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2010, 10:35AM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

This is it, folks -- the day when we learn which of the candidates in the hotly-contested primaries in Florida will start the general election fight behind. That's right. Essentially what they're fighting for today in the Democratic Senate primary and the Republican gubernatorial fight in Florida is who gets to start the race to November running behind the frontrunner.

In the gubernatorial fight, which pits wealthy former hospital executive Rick Scott against Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, the nasty Republican primary has left likely Democratic nominee and state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink leading general election polls. Whichever Republican wins tonight will have to take time to rebuild excitement among voters who appear to have been turned off by the nasty Republican primary.

As for Scott and McCollum, polls show its anybody's game tonight -- though McCollum has had the momentum in the closing days of the contest. The TPM Poll Average for the race shows McCollum ahead 42.1-38.2.

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FL-SEN

Polls: It's Bill McCollum-mentum In FL-GOV GOP Primary

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 23, 2010, 10:15AM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum (R)

Three new polls in Florida from over the weekend suggest that tomorrow's Republican gubernatorial primary is anybody's game. But the man with the momentum is clear: everything's coming up Bill McCollum.

Uber-wealthy former hospital executive Rick Scott's not out of the race by any means, but it seems that his nasty attacks on McCollum have failed to put the establishment-backed McCollum out to pasture. Mason-Dixon's latest poll of the race, taken last week and released Saturday, shows McCollum up 45-36. A new Qunninpiac poll taken over the weekend shows McCollum up 39-35. Scott can take solace in the fact that the latest PPP (D) poll still shows him with a 7-point lead -- until he remembers that the last PPP poll of the race from July showed Scott up by 14.

Heading into the vote, it's hard to predict who'll come out on top. The TPM Poll Average shows the race to be very close, with McCollum ahead 42.1-38.2. That means McCollum could very possibly still lose. But it also means that Scott's scorched-earth campaign to defeat McCollum has fallen flat, with McCollum picking up momentum in the race's final weeks.

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2010 elections

Rich Guys Finish Last? Big Spending Could Still Mean Big Failure In Florida Tuesday

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 23, 2010, 9:13AM

FL Gov. candidate Rick Scott (R) and FL Sen. candidate Jeff Greene (D)

How much does it cost to buy your way out of your past? In Florida, it looks like the answer is well north of $20 million to $30 million. That's at least how much the two rich guys trying to buy their way into the voter's hearts in the Sunshine State -- Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott -- have spent on their primary campaigns, respectively. And with a number of recent polls showing that each could be in trouble in the primaries they turned upside-down with their massive personal spending, it's starting to look like Tuesday could be the day rich guys finish last.

Each man brings a lot of personal baggage to his candidacy. Scott is the disgraced former executive of a hospital chain that was slapped with more than $1 billion in fines for defrauding the federal government on his watch. Greene has had to run away from past personal associations with such luminaries as Mike Tyson, Heidi Fleiss and Lindsay Lohan. And that was before he had to explain his way out of becoming a billionaire by betting the mortgage bubble would burst.

Greene and Scott both seemed to think that spending big and going negative on their establishment opponents would bring them political fortunes as big as the ones they keep at the bank (or, more likely, a series of banks and complex investment schemes that no lowly Internet reporter could imagine in his wildest dreams). The game plan was simple: use your lack of name ID to run as an "outsider," and use your overflowing war chest to trash your establishment opponent on TV.

The plan could still work. Greene and Scott could each still win. But there's been a clear shift in the polls, and with one day before primary voters go to the polls in Florida, it's looking more and more like a tough sell for both men.

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FL-GOV

Quinnipiac Poll: Dem Sink Takes Narrow Lead For FL-GOV

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2010, 10:13AM

Florida Gov. candidates Bill McCollum (R), Alex Sink (D) and Rick Scott (R).

The new Quinnipiac poll of the Florida gubernatorial race shows presumptive Democratic nominee Alex Sink taking a narrow lead for now, as Republican contenders Bill McCollum and Rick Scott keep tearing each other apart in their primary.

With McCollum as the GOP nominee, Sink has an edge of 31%-29%, with 12% for independent Bud Chiles. With Scott as the Republican candidate, Sink leads by 33%-29%, with 12% for Chiles. The survey of registered voters has a ±3% margin of error. In the previous Quinnipiac poll from three weeks ago, McCollum edged Sink by 27%-26%, and Scott edged Sink by 29%-27%, with 14% for Chiles in both cases.

The TPM Poll Average has Sink leading McCollum and Chiles by 33.1%-30.7%-12.4%, and Sink leading Scott and Chiles by 34.7%-27.8%-14.3%.

FL-GOV

Poll: Scott Ahead By 2 In Republican FL-GOV Primary

Marc Kilstein | August 18, 2010, 2:06PM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

With the Florida Republican gubernatorial primary just days away, a flurry of polls have been released over the last few weeks. But the race's outcome is still far from clear.

A new poll released today by Voter Survey Service, a division of Susquehanna Polling & Research, gives Rick Scott the edge over state Attorney General Bill McCollum, 44%-42%.

The survey, commissioned by Sunshine State News, shows a major gain in the race for McCollum since the pollster's July 30 survey. In the July poll, Scott held a 16-point advantage over McCollum, 44%-28%. A Quinnipiac poll released this morning showed McCollum with a nine-point lead.

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FL-GOV

RGA Steps In To Defend McCollum In FL-GOV Primary's Final Days

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 18, 2010, 10:36AM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has a new ally in the nasty Republican gubernatorial primary -- Republican Governors Association chair Haley Barbour. According to Politico, Barbour asked McCollum's opponent, former hospital executive Rick Scott, to pull down an ad linking McCollum to disgraced former Florida GOP chair Jim Greer.

Barbour says the video, which claims McCollum helped cover up Greer's alleged financial misdeeds at the state GOP, is false. Scott's campaign tells Politico it's not interested in Barbour's advice on how to run against McCollum.

"It should be no surprise that Bill McCollum once again turns to his D.C. establishment friends to bail out his campaign. With all due respect to Chairman Barbour, Bill McCollum's statements and actions in the Jim Greer scandal speak for themselves and have been widely documented by the media," Scott spokesperson Jen Baker told Politico's David Catanese.

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FL-SEN

Poll: McCollum And Meek Lead Self-Funding Challengers In Florida

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 18, 2010, 9:15AM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

A new Qunnipiac poll shows the wealthy self-funding candidates who had pulled ahead in the Florida primaries for governor and U.S. Senate may be seeing their time in the spotlight coming to an end.

According to the new numbers, the establishment choices in the GOP gubernatorial primary and the Democratic primary for Senate are on top, while the wealthy men who have spent millions to defeat them now find themselves in second place. In the Senate race, Rep. Kendrick Meek is ahead of billionaire investor Jeff Greene 35-28, according to the Q poll. In the Republican gubernatorial fight, state attorney general Bill McCollum now leads former hospital executive Rick Scott 44-35.

Those numbers mark big shifts from the last Quinnipiac poll from late July, when Greene led Meek 33-23, and Scott led McCollum 43-32.

With just days to go before the August 24 primary elections, the poll suggests the establishment picks in the two vicious primary battles may finally be able to relax a bit after weeks of running behind their upstart challengers. But as the pollster writes in the Quinnipiac release today, there's still plenty of mystery left in the contests, despite the new numbers.

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Muslims

How New York's 'Ground Zero Mosque' Fell Into Florida's Political Spotlight

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 16, 2010, 4:29PM

Marco Rubio

According to Google, the proposed Islamic community center in lower Manhattan is 1,275 miles away from downtown Miami, Florida. But that doesn't mean the proposed Cordoba House that's likely to be constructed blocks away from the former site of the Twin Towers hasn't become a big issue in Florida politics.

Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio -- already an ardent supporter of all things conservative (if you don't count his against-it-before-I-was-kind-of-for-it stance on Arizona's immigration law) -- is taking a firm stand with the rest of his party by vocally opposing the Cordoba House project.

"It is divisive and disrespectful to build a mosque next to the site where 3,000 innocent people were murdered at the hands of Islamic extremism," Rubio said in a statement Saturday.

Both men running for the GOP's gubernatorial nomination say basically the same thing. Attorney General Bill McCollum says he'd be OK with a Muslim construction project "farther away" from the Ground Zero site and former hospital exec Rick Scott is already running a TV ad attacking "Obama's Mosque."

So that's that. Anti-mosque Republicans can stand by their men in the Sunshine State.

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FL-GOV

Dem Alex Sink Parodies GOP Shenanigans In First FL-GOV Ad (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 16, 2010, 12:27PM

The Democrats' likely nominee for Governor of Florida, state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, didn't wait for the general election to go up with her first television ad. It seems that the opportunity to mock the nasty Republican primary between state Attorney General Bill McCollum and former hospital executive Rick Scott was just too great to pass up.

Sink's ad shows actors obviously portraying the two Republicans having a "no you are!" fight in what appears to be an elementary school classroom. The message is not subtle.

"Don't know about you, but I've had just about enough of politicians attacking each other," Sink says in the spot.

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FL-GOV

Poll: Rick Scott Leads By 10 In Republican FL-GOV Primary

Ben Frumin | August 13, 2010, 5:03PM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

Former hospital executive Rick Scott is on top in Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary, leading state Attorney General Bill McCollum 42-32, according to an Ipsos poll released today.

The last Ipsos poll, from May, showed McCollum leading Scott 46-22, with Paula Dockery at 3%.

Polling for the race has been all over the place this week. This morning, a poll sponsored by a group that endorsed McCollum showed the establishment pick with a 44-40 lead over Scott. A Mason-Dixon poll released yesterday showed McCollum up 34-30. Prior to those two polls, Scott had led in every poll released over the course of the last month.

The TPM Poll Average shows Scott leading McCollum 37.9-34.9.

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FL-GOV

Tarrance Poll: McCollum Leads Scott In FL-GOV Republican Primary

Eric Kleefeld | August 13, 2010, 11:22AM

Former hospital CEO Rick Scott (R) and FL Attorney General Bill McCollum (R)

A new Tarrance Group (R) poll shows Florida Attorney General leading former health care executive Rick Scott in the Republican gubernatorial primary. This is the second poll in as many days to show McCollum ahead, after many more previous polls that showed the self-financing Scott leading the establishment pick McCollum.

The numbers: McCollum 44%, Scott 40%. The survey of likely primary voters has a ±3.3% margin of error, and there is no prior publicly-released Tarrance poll for direct comparison. The survey was sponsored by the Florida Medical Association, which has endorsed McCollum.

This follows a Mason-Dixon poll released yesterday, which gave McCollum a lead of 34%-30%. The TPM Poll Average gives Scott an edge of 36.7%-35.7%, with McCollum quickly catching up. The primary is August 24.

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FL-GOV

Bill McCollum's New FL-GOV Strategy: 'Tougher' Than Arizona's Immigration Law

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 12, 2010, 3:06PM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum (R)

Bill McCollum -- who may be seeing the Republican gubernatorial primary in Florida finally shifting his way after months running behind Rick Scott -- appears to ready to try and ride his way to victory on the back of an immigration enforcement proposal he himself calls "tougher" than Arizona's controversial 1070 law.

The details of McCollum's plan, as reported by the Miami Herald: "The proposed law would require immigrants to carry valid documentation or face up to 20 days in jail and would allow judges to hand down stiffer penalties to illegal immigrations who commit the same crimes as legal residents."

"Arizona is going to want this law,'' McCollum told reporters. "We're better, we're stronger, we're tougher and we're fairer.''

The proposed law is already creating the expected headlines: "Is Florida the New Arizona?" Time wondered. But in a state where prominent Republicans like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio publicly frowned on key provisions of Arizona's law, the answer to that question is probably no.

So, what's behind the shift? Simple politics, Democrats say. McCollum is proving himself willing to swing way out to the right to beat Scott -- who has been hammering McCollum as too moderate -- leaving the the Democrats potentially facing a nominee who could be on the wrong side of Florida's large immigrant population.

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FL-GOV

Poll: Bill McCollum Is Back On Top In Republican FL-GOV Primary

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 12, 2010, 12:49PM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum

And now you know why politicians run negative ads. A new poll from Mason-Dixon out today shows Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum back in the lead of the Florida Republican gubernatorial primary race. The poll shows McCollum leading former hospital executive Rick Scott 34-30. That's a huge swing from Mason-Dixon's last poll, which showed Scott ahead 37-31 only a week ago.

The poll is great news for McCollum, who many observers had all but written off after Scott's multi-million dollar ad blitz knocked McCollum, the establishment choice, into a solid second place. If Mason-Dixon's new numbers are correct, the August 24 primary is now basically a toss-up. To what does McCollum owe his improved fortunes?

According to the Miami Herald, McCollum's "nonstop attacks" on Scott's "integrity and business record have put him in the lead for the first time." McCollum has stepped up his attacks on Scott in recent weeks, spending money and turning his attention to the challenge after largely ignoring Scott at first. It looks like McCollum's efforts are paying off.

But Mason-Dixon pollster Brad Coker told the paper the real winner in the nasty Republican primary appears to be Democrat Alex Sink.

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FL-GOV

Rick Scott Served Subpoena At Press Conference In Florida (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 11, 2010, 3:29PM

FL Gov. candidate Rick Scott (R)

Alright people, settle down -- there's nothing to see here. Oh, wait, yeah there is: it's all going straight to Crazytown in the Republican gubernatorial primary in Florida.

"In short, Bill McCollum is the Tonya Harding of Florida politics," frontrunner Rick Scott said of his opponent at a press conference yesterday.

This came after Scott was "served with a subpoena -- "by a man in a guayabera decorated with a Martini glass" -- at the beginning of said press conference.

OK, so what's going on?

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FL-GOV

Mason-Dixon Poll: Scott Leads McCollum By 6 In GOP's FL-GOV Primary

Thomas Rhiel | August 6, 2010, 9:18AM

Rick Scott

A new Mason-Dixon poll of Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary shows Rick Scott out in front of state Attorney General Bill McCollum, who's been struggling in the polls for months. The new survey shows Scott with a 37%-31% lead.

With the exception of two internal polls released by the McCollum camp showing the race neck-and-neck, every poll of this primary contest since June (including a third McCollum internal poll) has shown Scott in the lead. Mason-Dixon's previous poll, from way back in May, put McCollum up 38%-24%, but the landscape has changed dramatically since then.

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FL-GOV

Rasmussen Poll: Dem Sink Trails Rick Scott In FL-GOV Race, But Leads McCollum

Thomas Rhiel | August 4, 2010, 10:55AM

Florida Gov. candidates Bill McCollum (R), Alex Sink (D) and Rick Scott (R).

A new Rasmussen poll of the Florida governor's race shows Democrat Alex Sink trailing GOP frontrunner Rick Scott, but leading Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum -- a first in Rasmussen's polling. The new survey puts Scott ahead of Sink 35%-31%, with Independent Bud Chiles in third with 16%. Against McCollum, Sink is out in front 31%-27%, while Chiles takes 20%.

All signs point to Scott becoming the Republican nominee in the August 24 primary. He's well ahead in the polls, and has a huge financial advantage over McCollum.

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FL-GOV

Poll: Rick Scott Leads By 16 in GOP's FL-GOV Primary

Thomas Rhiel | August 2, 2010, 2:50PM

Rick Scott

Rick Scott leads Bill McCollum by double digits in Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary, a new survey finds. The Florida Poll, released Saturday, shows Scott with a 41%-25% lead over state Attorney General McCollum, the Republican establishment favorite who's struggling to fight off the big-spending Scott campaign's barrage of negative ads.

With the exception of two McCollum internal polls that showed the contest tied, every poll of the race since June has shown Scott out in front. This is the Florida Poll's first look at the race.

The TPM Poll Average shows Scott leading 41.3%-29.3%. The margin of error of the Florida Poll, which was conducted along with the University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland, is ±6.0 percentage points. The primary is August 24.

FL-GOV

Court Sides With Rick Scott: McCollum Won't Get State Matching Funds In FL-GOV Race

Ben Frumin | July 30, 2010, 5:27PM

Rick Scott

Rick Scott -- the extremely wealthy frontrunner in Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary -- scored a major victory today, when a federal appeals court ruled that his primary opponent, state Attorney General Bill McCollum, can't get a dollar-for-dollar match from the state when Scott exceeds Florida's campaign spending cap.

State law allows McCollum to get a match from the state for every dollar Scott spends over $24.9 million. Scott had argued that the law significantly chilled his First Amendment rights by forcing him to slow his spending. A lower court had rejected Scott's attempt to block the public financing law, but today a federal appeals court overturned the earlier ruling.

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FL-GOV

Quinnipiac Poll: GOPers Just Barely Ahead Of Dem In Florida Gov Race

Thomas Rhiel | July 30, 2010, 9:57AM

Florida Gov. candidates Bill McCollum (R), Alex Sink (D) and Rick Scott (R).

Today's Quinnipiac poll of the Florida governor's race shows both potential Republican nominees edging out Democrat Alex Sink. Republican businessman Rick Scott, the frontrunner in the GOP primary, leads Sink 29%-27%, with Independent Bud Chiles grabbing 14%. In a separate matchup, Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum narrowly leads Sink 27%-26%, while Chiles takes third, again with 14%.

Quinnipiac's new numbers show a big improvement for Sink since its last survey, on June 7, which showed Sink down nine against Scott and down eight against McCollum.

A July 18 PPP poll showed Sink ahead of Scott and McCollum by six and 14 points respectively, and a July 11 Reuters/Ipsos survey showed Scott leading Sink 34%-31% but Sink edging McCollum 31%-30%.

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FL-GOV

Quinnipiac Poll: Scott Leading McCollum By 11 In Florida's GOP Gov Primary

Thomas Rhiel | July 29, 2010, 8:57AM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

A new Quinnipiac poll of Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary shows wealthy businessman Rick Scott 11 points ahead of state Attorney General and establishment favorite Bill McCollum. The poll shows Scott, who's been ahead of McCollum in most polls since June, leading 43%-32%.

On Tuesday, McCollum's campaign released an internal polling memo showing McCollum down just six points against Scott. Scott's 11-point lead in the latest Quinnipiac poll is slightly less than his lead in a June 8 Quinnipiac survey, which put Scott at 44% and McCollum at 31%.

The TPM Poll Average for the August 24 primary shows Scott ahead 40.4%-31.2%. The margin of error for the latest Quinnipiac poll is ±3.6 percentage points.

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FL-GOV

Former GOP FL-GOV Frontrunner Bill McCollum: Good News! I'm Only Down 6

Thomas Rhiel | July 27, 2010, 3:38PM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

Bill McCollum, Florida's attorney general and one-time frontrunner in the state's Republican gubernatorial primary, is out with a new internal polling memo trumpeting the fact that he's down only six points against challenger Rick Scott. The poll, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates on July 22, shows Scott pulling ahead of McCollum, 37%-31%. The memo reports that, three weeks ago, the two candidates were neck-and-neck at 35%.

A PPP poll last week showed Scott up 14 points heading into the August 24 primary.

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FL-GOV

Winner In Florida's Republican Gov Primary Emerges: Democrat Alex Sink

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 27, 2010, 9:47AM

Florida Gov. candidates Bill McCollum (R), Alex Sink (D) and Rick Scott (R).

As the unexpectedly contested Florida Republican gubernatorial primary enters its final month, a winner has started to emerge after the millions in negative TV ads plastered across the state by state Attorney General Bill McCollum and wealthy businessman Rick Scott -- and that lucky candidate is Democratic candidate Alex Sink.

Last week, a fresh poll of the governor's race showed that despite being the third wheel in the second-most entertaining Florida political soap opera of the year, Sink has managed to pull ahead of both Republican candidates in general election matchups, thanks to tanking favorability numbers for both Scott and McCollum.

According to local press reports out of Florida, Republicans are starting to get nervous about Scott, the frontrunner for the party's nomination. Scott looks like the guy who'll win Aug. 24, leaving Florida Republicans with perhaps the most damaged Republican candidate for governor since Jim Giibbons. Even if Scott somehow loses to McCollum, his spending (plus McCollum's own problems of course) have Democrats overjoyed with the situation. In fact, things have played out in Sink's favor beyond the Democrats' wildest hopes ever since Scott jumped into the race back in April.

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FL-GOV

PPP Poll: Scott Leads McCollum By 14 Points In FL-GOV Primary

Eric Kleefeld | July 22, 2010, 11:50AM

FL Republican Gov. candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott.

The new survey of the Florida Republican gubernatorial primary by Public Policy Polling (D) shows former healthcare executive Rick Scott with a big lead over state Attorney General Bill McCollum in the August 24 primary.

The numbers: Scott 43%, McCollum 29%. The survey of likely Republican primary voters has a ±4.9% margin of error, and there is no prior PPP survey of this matchup for direct comparison. The TPM Poll Average shows Scott leading McCollum by 42.3%-33.3%. PPP's survey of the general election showed the presumptive Democratic nominee, state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, leading both Scott and McCollum.

The poll finds that Scott's self-financing and his attacks against McCollum as a career politician have worked, while McCollum's efforts to call attention to Scott's past legal problems -- his company paid $1.7 billion in fines and legal settlements for Medicare fraud -- have not worked. Scott's personal rating among GOP primary voters is 35% favorable to 32% unfavorable, while McCollum's rating is in underwater at 26%-40%.

FL-GOV

PPP Poll: Dem Alex Sink Leads Both Republican Contenders in Florida Gov Race

Thomas Rhiel | July 21, 2010, 4:01PM

Florida Gov. candidates Bill McCollum (R), Alex Sink (D) and Rick Scott (R).

A new PPP survey of the Florida gubernatorial race shows Democrat Alex Sink leading both of her possible Republican opponents. The poll, released today, found Sink up 37%-23% against Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum, with Independent candidate Bud Chiles at 14%. Against Republican Rick Scott, Sink leads 36%-30%, with Chiles receiving 13% of the vote. The previous PPP poll -- from early March, before Scott entered the race -- showed McCollum leading Sink by 13.

It's far from clear which Republican candidate Sink will face in the general election. The Republican primary has been increasingly nasty, and Scott has used his personal fortune to bury the establishment-backed McCollum with a barrage of ads. The Republican primary is August 24, and polls show Scott now running well ahead of McCollum.

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FL-GOV

How A Super Rich Republican Is Burying And Bankrupting A GOP Favorite In Florida

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 13, 2010, 8:53AM

FL Gov. candidate Rick Scott (R)

Since jumping into Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary in April, millionaire hospital executive Rick Scott has spent a fortune beating the heck out of the Republican establishment's choice, state Attorney General Bill McCollum. McCollum is now nearly out of money, and hoping Florida's public financing laws will bail him out. Though the race is not over yet, Scott is looking more and more like a frontrunner -- a development that could leave Republicans with an eccentric, disgraced CEO to carry their flag into the open race for governor in the fall.

The past two weeks in Florida have shown how far McCollum -- once the shoo-in Republican nominee -- has fallen in the face of the Scott's more than $20 million onslaught. We entered July with the primary race having already descended to the level of America's nastiest. McCollum was attempting to blunt Scott's momentum by claiming Scott "profited from abortion" as the CEO of Columbia HCA. Scott came back with an ad slamming McCollum's support from the "pro-abortion and pro-homosexual rights" Rudy Giuliani.

And then things got ugly.

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FL-GOV

Florida Republican: Campaign Finance Law Is Cramping My Millionaire Campaign Style

Eric Lach | July 9, 2010, 11:47AM

FL Gov. candidate Rick Scott (R)

Rick Scott, the millionaire former health care exec, sees a serious injustice in the state of Florida's campaign finance laws. The law, he says, unfairly picks on the big spenders.

Scott has tapped his personal fortune to help knock Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) out of position as the de facto Republican nominee for governor in Florida. So far, it's been working: Scott's leading by double-digits in the polls. And now he's asking a judge to strike down a Florida campaign finance law that would award McCollum a dollar-for-dollar match from the state for every dollar over $24.9 million that Scott spends. Scott's already spent $21 million, according to the Palm Beach Post. So if he spends much more, McCollum stands to start collecting.

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FL-GOV

Dick Armey Endorses Embattled Bill McCollum In FL-GOV

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 22, 2010, 2:10PM

Dick Armey, FreedomWorks chairman

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, reeling from a late challenge from anti-public option crusader Rick Scott in the Republican gubernatorial primary, just got a big boost in his quest to retain the support of Florida conservatives. Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey -- the chair of tea party umbrella group FreedomWorks -- endorsed McCollum today, calling him the right choice for frustrated conservatives.

"Bill McCollum was 'tea party' long before there were tea parties," Armey said in a statement posted to the McCollum campaign website.

Armey praised McCollum's lawsuit challenging the federal health care law, and his past membership in the House leadership when Armey was majority leader.

"In the Florida race for governor, no one has done more to further the cause of conservatism than Bill McCollum," Armey said.

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FL-GOV

Down And Out? Bill McCollum Hits The Skids In FL-GOV

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 16, 2010, 10:53AM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum

Things just went from bad to worse for Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum (R). He's currently locked in a surprise gubernatorial primary with former hospital exec Rick Scott -- a battle he's losing to Scott's sizable fortune and willingness to spend it on TV ads -- and now, the local media is starting to suggest McCollum might be done.

From this morning's St. Petersburg Times:

It is a stunning shift for a seasoned politician who seemed to have a lock on the race just two months ago...Supporters fault McCollum's TV message, his inability to connect with an angry electorate, fundraising shortcomings and a dated campaign style, emphasizing endorsements from establishment figures such as Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney at a time when voters feel alienated.

It wasn't supposed to be this way -- McCollum was supposed to walk away with his party's nomination and (hopefully) the job currently being held by Charlie Crist. But now McCollum is looking increasingly alone and Republicans in Florida are starting to worry.

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FL-GOV

Poll: Rick Scott Leads Bill McCollum In FL-GOV Republican Primary

Eric Kleefeld | June 10, 2010, 9:31AM

Former hospital CEO Rick Scott (R) and FL Attorney General Bill McCollum (R)

The new Quinnipiac poll in Florida shows that former healthcare executive Rick Scott's right-wing campaign for governor is having a serious impact -- he now leads the establishment GOP candidate state Attorney General Bill McCollum, in the Republican primary.

The numbers: Scott 44%, McCollum 31%. The survey of likely GOP primary voters has a ±3.4% margin of error. At the same time, 59% of primary votes who expressed a choice also said that their minds could potentially change, with that number spread evenly across both candidates' supporters.

Scott has been spending heavily on the race, focusing on illegal immigration and opposition to President Obama's health care reform law. From the pollster's analysis: "In addition to being a testament to the power of television, Scott's ability to take the lead so quickly is also a reflection on McCollum's lack of strong support within his own party despite his two decades in Florida politics."

FL-GOV

McCollum's First FL-GOV Ad: Jeb Bush Likes Me! (VIDEO)

Ben Frumin | May 21, 2010, 9:53AM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is going up today with his first ad in his state's Republican gubernatorial primary. The ad's star? Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL).

"Tough times require proven leadership," Bush says, "Bill McCollum is a principled conservative with a record of doing what's right for Florida."

Bush also says McCollum, who he refers to as "my friend," is "leading the charge to stop President Obama's health care takeover."

McCollum faces health care astroturfer Rick Scott in the the August 24 primary.

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FL-GOV

McCollumn Switches to Supporting Arizona-Style Immigration Law, After Opponent In Primary Backed It

Eric Kleefeld | May 13, 2010, 6:36PM

Former hospital CEO Rick Scott (R) and FL Attorney General Bill McCollum (R)

The Arizona anti-illegal immigration law is now catching on in the race for governor of Florida, with state Attorney General Bill McCollum saying that he would back bringing it to Florida -- after his new opponent in the GOP primary, former health care executive Rick Scott, began pushing it.

The St. Petersburg Times points out that McCollum previously said a few weeks ago that the law was "far out" and not suitable for Florida. But then Scott praised the law in a new radio ad. McCollum now cites changes that have been made to the law in response to complaints about potential racial profiling, and says he supports it.

Now McCollum says: "As state and local law enforcement officials in Arizona begin to implement the state's aggressive new border security law to crackdown on illegal immigration, I applaud Gov. Brewer and the Arizona Legislature for stepping up their enforcement efforts at a time when President Obama's administration has let states down. I support Arizona's law as amended, and if the federal government fails to secure our borders and solve the problem of illegal immigration, I would support a similar law for Florida."

FL-GOV

Millionaire Astroturfer Stirring Up Florida Governor's Race

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 10, 2010, 1:02PM

Rick Scott, Conservatives for Patients Rights

The Senate race isn't the only GOP war going on in Florida. Surprise late-entry gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott -- the former CEO of the the Columbia hospital system and a leading astroturfer during the health care town halls in 2009 -- is threatening to dismantle Republican party plans to replace Gov. Charlie Crist (I) with state Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Scott, a millionaire several hundred times over, jumped into GOP primary on April 13, after months of a campaign that already moved onto the general, with likely GOP nominee McCollum facing off against likely Democratic nominee and state CFO Alex Sink. But a new poll released over the weekend shows Scott has succeeded in forcing McCollum into an unexpected and costly primary fight.

Like so many Republicans these days, Scott is running as an outsider. It's his deep pockets and connection to the conservative anti-health care reform movement from the August 2009 town halls that could be causing Florida Republicans to rethink a race they already thought was over. Now they're left pondering if their nominee for governor might end up being a disgraced hospital executive who says he killed the public option.

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FL-GOV

Poll: Health Care Lawsuit May Be Hurting McCollum In FL-GOV Race

Jillian Rayfield | April 19, 2010, 11:38AM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum

A new Quinnipiac poll of the FL governor's race finds that 54% of voters think that State Attorney General Bill McCollum's health care reform lawsuit is a "bad idea," compared to 40% who back the lawsuit.

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Health Care

GOP Hopefuls Use Health Care Repeal -- And Court Challenges -- To Establish Conservative Cred

Eric Kleefeld | March 25, 2010, 10:18AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-M), Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), and Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

We can add a new item to the list of Republican litmus tests that has included taxes, abortion, guns and gays: How staunchly do you support repeal of health care reform? If you're a Republican seeking higher office, this is indeed an important question.

It has become clear that the stronger somebody opposes the health care bill, the better one's chances are for political advancement as a Republican. The GOP leadership has thus far adopted "repeal and replace" as their mantra, which will likely be the standard line throughout the election. (Just how much of it would be repealed, and what would replace it, is still not quite so clear.) In addition, challenging its very constitutionality is another way to burnish one's conservative credentials with the party's base even more.

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