Smith hits the Airwaves

Rod Smith's first campaign ad, produced by Coral Gables based firm Stan Adkins and Associates is certainly different. The ad which tries to have a "reality" feel to it begins with a Smith campaign staff meeting and then moves to a stump speech where Smith hits on all of the traditional Democratic themes.

When you consider that Smith is on the air before his Democratic rival Jim Davis, the ad probably misses the chance to properly introduce Smith to the primary electorate. Being on the air first will almost certainly give Smith a bump in the polls but I am fairly confident that this ad may reprsent a missed opportunity as it spends about the first 18 seconds dealing with "insider baseball" and the last 12 introducing Smith to the public. That's backwards logic and a bad move on the campaign's part.

When it rains it pours

Tom Gallagher just wants the calendar page to turn to August. To say the least July 2006 has not been kind the perennial statewide candidate and current CFO of the state. As if things weren't bad enough for Gallagher who now trails Charlie Crist by 20 + points in the race for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination in most polls, now he faces a serious ethics investigation into his holding of insurance stock while the state's chief overseer of the insurance industry.

Q poll among Democrats seems skewed

The new Quinnipiac University poll taken among likely Democratic voters gives Congressman Jim Davis a 28 point lead over State Senator Rod Smith. I don't doubt that Davis is leading, probably by double digits. What I do question is not only the margain but the high percentage that recognize Davis' name. Considering neither candidate has cultivated a statewide constituency outside of activist groups and political insiders, it is completly unrealistic that 47% of likely Democratic voters support Jim Davis.

In my opinion, the race for the Democratic nomination is still very much up for grabs, with Davis holding an edge but Smith having an excellent statewide infrastructure of elected officials and activists to make a strong run for the Primary. Over on the GOP side, Charlie Crist has the nomination pretty much sealed. Crist has an overwhelming advantage in the I-4 corridor and now is beginning to solidify his gains among Republican insiders and elected officials.

Democratic Primary for Governor heats up

Last night in Broward County, Democratic hopefuls for the Governorship squared off in a debate. However the day was marked by the outreach of Rod Smith to the Chrisitian Coalition, a group that many Democrats feel is intolerant. Here is Anthony Man's story in yesterday Sun Sentinel.

The populist candidate for CFO?

At least Randy Johnson is trying to play populist. Check out his site http://bluetarptour.com .

Ironic given his opponent in the GOP Primary, Senate President Tom Lee has worked tirelessly to cultivate a populist image with Florida voters through the years. Lee however now is saddled with the support, for better or worse of the insider clique in the GOP after years of doing battle with them in the Senate.

Qualifying Week begins Monday

Qualifying for elective offices in the state of Florida begins Monday morning. As always qualifying week brings lots of surprises. We will be here all week to evaluate what is happening.

We'll be back online July 15th, 2005

Reintroducing Florida Buzz, a source of political information this campaign season.