The Florida Governors race is just starting to get fun. And it is getting closer.
Democratic candidate Jim Davis has trailed his Republican opponent Charlie Crist anywhere form 5 to 20 points since the September 5th primary. Now 18 days out, a new Rasmussen poll has Davis closing the gap back to 5 points again.
All this has been going on as the humor race heats up as well. Follow me the rest of the story...
How has
Jim Davis managed to close a 20 point gap going into two weeks out?
First, he has done it with serious policy proposals. Property Insurance, Property taxes and education are the three hot button issues in Florida this cycle. Davis has rolled out policy proposals on all three issues that trounce anything that Charlie Crist has come up with. The Palm Beach Post in its endorsement of Davis said:
For the future of Florida's public schools and property owners, The Post recommends voters elect Jim Davis for governor.
Regarding education the Post said Davis:
wants public schools to be coveted for their quality, not shunned as catch-alls. Said the fourth-generation Floridian: "Charlie (Crist) says stay the course. I say we need to change.
As for property insurance reform, the Post endorsement went on to say:
Mr. Crist's plan on insurance is similarly stagnant: Pay, hope and wait.
Even Republicans have said Charlie Crist's Property Tax Plan is Dead on Arrival.
Davis has won the policy proposal war hands down. But here is where the fun begins.
No one has ever confused Charlie Crist for a brain surgeon, although his father is a well respected physician. Charlie obviously didn't inherit the "smarts" in the family. Crists' campaign style of smile and nod suits his mental capabilities well.
However, Charlie has not been able to keep his foot out of his mouth, and the Davis campaign is having some fun with it. This week the Davis campaign launched a series of daily press releases entitled "What Charlie Doesn't Know". Charlie recently became incensed at a Tampa Tribune Editorial Board interview, misidentifying Jim Davis as `his" Congressman while ranting about Davis missing votes while campaigning for Governor. (More on that later.)
The press release series, following on the heels of the Davis victory in the policy proposal battle highlights an important theme in this campaign. The theme replicates one of my favorite scenes from the West Wing. President Bartlett is running for a second term against a not so bright Governor of Florida. (Anybody else see the irony here?) Bartlett is on the stump trying to be a "regular guy", and it is driving Toby nuts. Finally Toby sits Bartlett down in the Oval Office and says,
"Look, you are not a regular guy. You are always going to be the smartest guy in the room. Make this election about smart and not; about serious and not."
The press releases also chastise Crist for ducking every chance to appear together with Davis since the primary. Crist even tried to weasel out of a debate to be moderated by Chris Mathews because he didn't like the format. Anybody else see a duck costume coming to a TV screen in Florida near you?
Not to be outdone in the humor department, Crist has his own entry in the campaign. As mentioned above, Davis has been criticized for missing House votes while on the campaign trail. His primary challenger, Rod Smith, harped on that theme throughout the primary campaign. Now Crist has launched a new spot with this theme. You can watch the ad and read a description here.
Personally, I think the spot is a hoot. I am also glad Crist is spending a lot of his huge funding advantage on this spot. Apparently they didn't ask Rod Smith how this line of attack worked out for him.
So, coming up on two weeks out, the race is tightening. The first of two statewide televised debates will be aired on Tuesday night, with the second to air on October 30th.
We still have a ways to go. But I'm starting to like our chances. And I'm laughing a lot more.