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The buzz
Crist's success at fundraising spurs on rival
By ADAM SMITH
Published October 2, 2005
Attorney General Charlie Crist has raised more than $1.5-million in the past three months to give him $5.3-million in total contributions in his bid for governor.
"I'm more than pleased by the response," Crist said Saturday.
Crist, who had 71 fund-raisers in the past quarter, is raising money at such a prodigious clip that his rival for the Republican nomination, Tom Gallagher, is using that as a way to raise more money.
"Our opponent has proven himself to be an unparalleled fundraiser," Gallagher said in a campaign e-mail sent Friday night. "In fact, we fully expect Charlie Crist to follow his fundraising success from last quarter and post another impressive fundraising report."
That's a different tune from the one Gallagher supporters were singing 18 months ago when they predicted their man would be the clear fundraising leader in a battle with Crist.
The cutoff for raising money for the quarter was midnight Friday. Chief Financial Officer Gallagher did not release any figures Saturday. Spokesman Albert Martinez said the Gallagher camp is "still counting" money.
Gallagher reported $3.1-million in contributions in the first quarter of the year. Crist reported $3.8-million. Candidates have until Oct. 10 to file detailed contribution reports.
MADDOX ROCK(S): Inspiration can come from many sources, and it appears Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scott Maddox's muse is none other than comedian Chris Rock.
Consider Rock's stump speech when he played presidential candidate Mays Gilliam in the 2003 flick Head of State :
How many of you work in a city you can't afford to live in?
That ain't right!
How many of you work in a mall that you can't afford to shop in?
That ain't right!
How many of you clean up a hotel you ain't never gonna be able to stay in?
That ain't right!
Here was Maddox addressing Gainesville Democratic activists last week, as reported by the Gainesville Sun :
We have a governor who says he's the education governor but we are 47th, 48th in education.
That ain't right!
Our Legislature can't stand up to special interests. They keep putting special interests in front of the environment.
That ain't right!
Sallie Stohler, Maddox's campaign manager, said he credits Rock in his speech, something several people in Gainesville did not recall hearing.
HARRIS HURTING?: Republicans have been whispering about Rep. Katherine Harris having trouble raising money for her Senate campaign, and in a hint that they may be right, Harris herself is downgrading expectations.
"Out of respect and understanding of the Gulf Coast victims, we suspended fundraising for a few weeks. My campaign is realistic about our filing report, but your last minute help would be extremely appreciated," she said in an e-mailed fundraising solicitation last week.
Her campaign declined to comment on her fundraising, and (like most statewide campaigns on Friday) declined to release estimates for what her quarterly finance reports would show through Sept. 30.
Plenty of Republicans wanted to keep Harris out of the race, but at least conservative writer Ann Coulter is on her side: "This year, rumors have it that (President) Bush is again discouraging the magnificent Harris not to run for the Senate. Here's hoping she ignores him. How much would Bush's support be worth to Harris at this point anyway? If Bush really wants to keep Katherine Harris out of the U.S. Senate, maybe he should just endorse her," Coulter wrote this week.
JEB MUSINGS: Those claiming to know who Jeb Bush wants to succeed him in the Governor's Mansion may find a whiff of circumstantial evidence from some recent remarks. The governor heaped praise on Gallagher for rolling out a "profamily" agenda that included abortion waiting periods for minors, more money for adoptions and mandatory filters on public library computers to block access to pornography.
Bush said it was "great" that Gallagher was talking policy. "I think it's important for candidates to have detailed plans about what they want to do," Bush said. "You ought to say what you're going to do and then you ought to do what you said you were going to do ... I applaud the treasurer for doing that."
Bush discounted the notion that the race between Gallagher and Crist would turn on the fact that Gallagher is a husband and father and Crist is single. "People will make up their own minds," Bush said. "Republican voters, thankfully, are very smart."
ONLINE BUZZ: Check out www.sptimes.com/blogs/buzz/ for more political news from across the state and region.
--Adam C. Smith and Steve Bousquet contributed to this week's Buzz.
[Last modified October 2, 2005, 04:49:56]
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