The U.S. Senate campaign of Gov. Rick Scott got off to a quick start when he announced his candidacy on April 9 and there is no indication the campaign plans to slow down anytime soon.
Scott announced a new campaign ad (see below) Wednesday morning. It’s the third spot release in the past three days for a total cost of $3.2 million. That’s in addition to the $5 million already spent by the campaign on television ads in recent weeks. That’s a total of over $8 million on six spots. Another $3 million has been spent on ads by a political action committee supporting Scott.
Scott’s opponent, Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, has yet to run a television spot.
The latest Scott ad is called “Cambiar,” a Spanish ad campaign that will be targeted at South Florida. Cambiar means “change” in English. It features Floridians giving credit to Scott for helping to revitalize the state’s economy since taking office in 2011 and for his pledge to bring about change in Washington.
The ad includes one Floridian saying, “Rick Scott has created more opportunities in Florida.”
Another adds, “As a veteran, I’m very grateful to Rick Scott. He has created jobs and he’s put people back into the labor force, and that’s why I support him.”
The spot ends with Scott saying in Spanish, “We can change Washington. We must change Washington. Together we will change Washington.”
Earlier this week the campaign launched “Presente,” another Spanish ad that is targeted at the state’s Puerto Rican community, and “Party Line,” which accuses Nelson of voting along party lines in most Senate votes.
The amount of television spots could be having some influence with voters. A poll released by Florida Atlantic University last week showed Scott moving out to a small lead over Nelson — 44 percent to 40 percent. But the numbers reflect a 6-point swing in Scott’s favor in the latest FAU survey..
