RGA and DGA double in last week of Florida governor's race

TALLAHASSEE – National groups focused on Florida's hotly contested race are gearing up for the final week of the 2018 mid-term session, generating a surge of late-breaking funding and boosting TV and digital campaigns.

The Association of Republican Governors this week donated an additional $ 1 million to GOP candidate Ron DeSantis' political committee, bringing his total election cycle to $ 3 million. The group also injected an additional $ 300,000 into cable television commercials in the high-density Democrats media market in Palm Beach, and targeted $ 1 million for a digital advertising campaign targeting elective voters. This is the biggest cash injection that the RGA makes of all the states during the last two weeks of the mid-season 2018.

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Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum has received another $ 500,000 injection of funds from the Democratic Governors Association on Wednesday, which has invested $ 8.5 million in the race and is Gillum's largest direct donor. This is in addition to the million dollars it has given to the Democratic Party of Florida to bolster its efforts in minority research and voter turnout.

Both parties are in final messaging mode of what has been an extremely negative general election.

"The Florida governor's race is extremely tight, but we can clearly see that Ron DeSantis is gaining ground and is well placed for the win," said RGA spokesman Jon Thompson. "We are making significant investments in recent days to keep Florida on track with a governor in office who will fight for jobs and reduced taxes."

David Turner, a spokesman for the DGA, expressed the positive tone that Gillum tried to keep, noting his "inspiring campaign" before hitting DeSantis and the RGA.

"This contrasts with the fact that the RGA spends the majority of its funds through external entities, which indicates that it does not have much confidence in Ron DeSantis to take any action. smart decisions, "added Turner.

The RGA and the DGA both have a long history in Florida Governor's Races. As the nation's largest pivotal state, both sides view it as strategically important to have a large footprint in Florida before the presidential election cycles, a dynamic that still attracts national attention.

In 2014, the RGA injected $ 18 million into Governor Rick Scott's re-election bid, while the DGA donated $ 6 million directly to Democratic candidate Charlie Crist.