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Scott Wins Second Term As Florida Governor After Ugly, Expensive Campaign
November 5, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott narrowly won re-election Tuesday in one of the nastiest and most expensive governor’s races in Florida history, completing a political resurrection that many observers thought almost impossible a year and a half ago.
With all the state’s precincts reporting, Scott claimed 48.2 percent of the vote, to just shy of 47 percent for former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican turned Democrat. Libertarian Adrian Wyllie claimed almost 3.8 percent of the vote, far below what many polls had shown before the election. Scott beat Crist by fewer than 76,000 votes out of more than 5.9 million cast.
Scott wrapped up his campaign at his Pensacola victory headquarters late Tuesday afternoon, spending about half an hour shaking hands and posing for photos.
“We have made great strides in the last four years, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” Scott told cheering supporters at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs. “Now is the time to charge boldly ahead.”
The race was yet another example of Scott confounding political observers who expected him to lose a race. In 2010, then-Attorney General Bill McCollum was favored to beat Scott in the Republican primary election, and then-Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink appeared at one point to be ahead in the general election. Instead, both lost.
This time, Scott was facing a charismatic former governor who enjoyed high approval ratings during his four years in the state’s top job. Crist, who bolted the Republican Party in 2010 and become an independent to avoid losing a GOP primary for U.S. Senate, easily won the 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary and hammered Scott as a plutocrat out of touch with everyday Floridians.
But in a two-and-a-half minute concession speech Tuesday, Crist called for unity. Joined by his wife, Carole, running mate Annette Taddeo and her husband Eric Goldstein, Crist took the stage in a nearly empty ballroom at the Vinoy Renaissance resort in St. Petersburg shortly before midnight.
Crist was interrupted when he said he had called Scott and congratulated him. “Demand a recount!” a supporter cried out.
“We need to come together. We really do,” Crist said.
A Crist aide said the former governor had a 35-second conversation with Scott in which Crist mentioned the expansion of Medicaid, one of his top campaign issues.
“I know we had a lot of differences in this race,” Crist said. “That was pretty clear. But one thing that we talked about that was common ground was to expand Medicaid for about a million of our fellow Floridians.”
Scott also talked of the need to bring the state together after a brutal campaign that featured about $100 million in advertising, much of it harshly negative and often personal.
“It’s time to put all the division behind us and come together,” Scott said. “Forget about all the partisanship. Florida is on a mission. And that mission is to keep growing, and to become the very best place in the world to get a job, to raise a family, and live the American dream.”
Much of Scott’s margin in the race came from racking up big victories in small and medium-sized counties. He carried just three counties where more than 200,000 votes were cast, compared to six for Crist.
The Scott victory brings to an end a brutal and unique campaign between two governors. While the candidates traded the usual charges and countercharges of an election, the fight between Crist and Scott seemed unusually intense.
Scott always addressed Crist by his first name in debates, and pro-Scott commercials slammed Crist as a “lousy governor.” Crist blasted Scott for the latter’s conservative record, complaining in a book written before the election of everything from Scott’s decision to reject federal support for high-speed rail to his removal of Crist’s personal barber from a state board.
Scott and his supporters relentlessly attacked Crist as a flip-flopper who can’t be trusted and who drove the state into an economic meltdown before Scott took office four years ago.
Crist, who previously ran statewide as a Republican three times and as an independent once, painted Scott as a wealthy Republican who, like others in the party, is out of touch with everyday Floridians.
Crist and his supporters also tried to capitalize on Scott’s tenure as chief executive of Columbia/HCA, a hospital corporation that paid more than $1 billion in fines to the federal government for Medicare fraud, the largest fine in the nation’s history at the time.
Crist’s campaign banked on an intensive ground game, shepherded by staffers who helped President Barack Obama nail down victories in 2008 and 2012 in swing-state Florida, to reverse the typically lackluster Democratic turnout in mid-term elections like this year.
Crist enlisted Taddeo, who was raised in Colombia and is a former county chairwoman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, as his running-mate with an eye on drumming up support from women and Hispanics, two demographics considered critical for a win in Florida.
And Crist also focused on black voters, who, like Hispanics, tend to vote in huge numbers during presidential elections and who played a large role in Obama’s Florida victories in the past two elections, but whose turnout drops off significantly in mid-terms.
Scott remained focused during the campaign on themes such as bringing jobs to the state.
After a difficult first year in office that saw his approval ratings at near-historic lows, Scott tried to broaden his appeal, focusing on politically popular issues such as increases in education funding — after slashing school spending in his first budget. He also supported a bill this year that grants in-state college tuition rates to some undocumented immigrants.
He also used a vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s office caused by the resignation of Jennifer Carroll to appoint former lawmaker Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a Republican who became Miami-Dade County property appraiser after leaving the House. Lopez-Cantera is the first Latino to hold the lieutenant-governor post in Florida’s history.
Crist’s loss Tuesday night may mark the end of his political career just six years after he was considered for the Republican nomination for the vice presidency.
“Thank you, all of you in this room and all of you across Florida who helped us in this effort,” he said. “I will never forget you. I will always be in debt to you. You are the most wonderful friends a person could ever hope for.”
by Brandon Larrabee and Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: Rick Scott addresses the press at his Pensacola victory headquarters late Tuesday afternoon as he wrapped up his campaign. Pictured top inset: Scott visits with a family in Pensacola. Pictured bottom inset: Scott poses for a photo with Northview High School student Mitchell Singleton. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
22 Responses to “Scott Wins Second Term As Florida Governor After Ugly, Expensive Campaign”
MB
You seem to think ebola hasn’t killed anybody important unless they were Americans.
Now I understand your statement and unconcern.
David for people
If you insisted that everyone who voted for or endorsed a Republican was a Republican, then the majority of the people in America are now Republicans and two years ago they were Democrats.
If you accept that sometimes people vote for a person who is a Republican and sometimes they vote for a person who is a Democrat, you might be forced to accept that Americans are an independent bunch, doing as we see fit.
Not unlike the nurse who knew she didn’t fit the criteria for a person who needed to be quarantined.
David for functional brains
You got me. I plead the 5th 75 times to keep from self incriminating myself in fraud of the American government.
@MB – Re: Reagan the “flip-flopper”
Even as a Democrat, Reagan endorsed Republican presidential candidates in ‘52, ‘56 and ‘60 – well before officially becoming a Republican in ‘62, well before he ever ran for his first political office in ‘65, well before he sought Republican presidential nominations in ‘68, ‘76 and ‘80 and well before he was elected president in ‘80. Arguably, the man was a Republican for almost 30 years before he was elected President. He may have flipped – but he certainly didn’t flop by the time this Democrat ever got a chance to vote FOR him in his ‘84 reelection.
In contrast, Charlie “The Chameleon” Crist went from Republican to Independent to Democrat in under 4 years. In other words, a flipity-flip-flop. I might consider him to be credible as a Democrat if he can manage to remain one for half as long as Reagan was a Republican. That doesn’t mean I’d vote for him – it just means I might consider him to be credible. He hasn’t been Green, yet so who knows? Regardless of his changing-colors, his actions have made him quite transparent for he has proven that he’ll be anything to try to get your vote.
I don’t think you can compare the United States to West Africa. Is it ONE US citizen that has did from it??? There are several things that are much more a threat than ebola like bee stings, being kicked by a horse, accidentally shoot yourself, etc…
We do need to be prepared for the arrival of people who have been in those geographic areas, but if you look at the New Jersey nurse who refused to be quarantined, it brings about an interesting quandry.
MB
Florida gator football players have killed more than 5,000 people?
Me not think so.
That is about how many ebola killed in one country in this latest outbreak and is still killing. It kills most who contract it.
It isn’t particularly contagious, but is bad when it bites.
I’m not faulting President Obama for fearing it or for not taking extraordinary measures to keep it from infecting us and killing us, but if he is wrong, it would be very bad.
David for medical cures from Homeland Security
Ebola? More peoe have been killed by Florida Gator football players than Ebola. You are grasping at straws. Let’s talk about the economy. Again, compare the last republican and democratic presidents and get back to me.
During the 3-1/2 years of World War 2 that started with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and ended with the Surrender of Germany and Japan in 1945, the U.S. produced 22 aircraft carriers, 8 battleships, 48 cruisers, 349 destroyers, 420 destroyer escorts, 203 submarines, 34 million tons of merchant ships, 100,000 fighter aircraft, 98,000 bombers, 24,000 transport aircraft, 58,000 training aircraft, 93,000 tanks, 257,000 artillery pieces, 105,000 mortars, 3,000,000 machine guns, and 2,500,000 military trucks. We put 16.1 million men in uniform in the various armed services, invaded Africa, invaded Sicily and Italy, won the battle for the Atlantic, planned and executed D-Day, marched across the Pacific and Europe, developed the atomic bomb, and ultimately conquered Japan and Germany.
It’s worth noting that during the almost exact amount of time, the Obama administration couldn’t build a web site. (Copied from another commenter)
A Sad Day for all policeman,Firefighters, Teachers, Librarians, Life Guards, Prison Guards, Secretary’s, or any State
Employee or County employee and Handicapped Disabled children , they are the losers
@ MB… Why is Obama so unpopular? Well, that 6% unemployment number is a fantasy. It’s likely closer to 11% with all the people who’ve simply given up looking for a job. Maybe people blame Obama for not putting this nation first and bringing ebola infected people from foreign lands. Maybe they’re un-happy that this administration uses the IRS to target groups with whom he disagrees. Could it be that he’s jumped into the middle of 3 racially charged cases and caused division rather than unity? Some are still wondering why an U.S. Ambassador was left swinging in the wind and was murdered after begging for help. Many more are frustrated with his inaction at our Southern Border with narco terrorists and disease carrying people enter the nation un-checked. But you probably knew all that and thought it was fine.
Those who feel disdain for their fellow Americans will be glad to know she has an open door policy allowing them to leave freely.
No amount of money can force a voter to elect someone he or she rejects, not with the secret ballot in place.
David for Florida and the rest of America
That monetary edge can buy a boat load of air time for slamming each other and is sadly effective for folks who believe the 60 second ads on TV and don’t bother, or know how to research the facts.
Not good news for working men and women in Florida and across the United States. Get ready cause it’s going to only get worse from here on out ! Americans have a very short attention span…
100 million dollars—-Its a free country for those that can pay
I long for the day that we no longer debate who was the worst….Bush or Obama, Scott or Crist. C’mon guys, it’s not much of an argument to say, “Sure my guy is awful, but your guy was worse.”
The sun doesn’t rise and set depending on which political party has a momentary edge.
As the saying goes, “Better the devil you know”. With all his flip-flopping and party changing, who knows what Charlie Crist really stands for.
Pick Scott again.
What a disappointment
How those on the right forget one of their greatest of all-time, Ronald Reagan, would have been called a “flip flopper.”
It’s very laughable. You say Scott added jobs, well, what about Obama? Bush lost how many million jobs and crashed our economy?
The economy is presently pretty good under Obama. The unemployment rate is less than 6%, the stock market is at record levels, and the price of gas is less than $3.
What is it about Obama that Republicans dislike so much? I just can’t put my finger on it. Hmmm….
I agree, Sam. But seeing the results in Monroe, Miami Dade, and Palm Beach counties lets me know how narrow this victory was. Our state is deeply divided and voters are not happy. Had the left fielded a cleaner candidate, Scott would have been creamed.
One thang’s for sure. Unless the FL GOP is able to field a stronger candidate in 2018, the Dems will be back in the saddle.
I concur with Sam. It wasn’t close to me either. The flip-flopping was the deciding factor for me. I think Scott has done a good job in creating jobs for Florida. 5,000 new jobs for Navy Federal is great. Plus, he inherited the 2008 recession, which was awful, and has done a good job at turning things around for Florida.
I agree with Sam.Scott was yhe best of two evils.
Scott was far from a perfect candidate but crist was a flip flopper and an obama supporter. The choice wasnt even close for me.