Rubio Spot Hits Fox News
Ex-FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) is up with his first TV ad in an appeal to Fox News viewers around the state, doubling down on accusations that his primary rival is not a true conservative.
The 60-second ad features Rubio addressing the camera on standard GOP fare like limited government, reduced spending and defeating "the threat of radical Islam."
"As the son of exiles, I understand what it means to lose the gift of freedom. And that's why I know we cannot and will not allow America to fail at this time, in this way," Rubio says. "Washington is broken and too many politicians don't get it. America needs Republicans who will stand up to Barack Obama, not join him. Leaders who will stand for conservative values, not sacrifice them."
Recent polls show Rubio leading FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R) by an increasingly wide margin little more than a year after Crist endorsed Pres. Obama's stimulus bill.
Crist's campaign fought back, accusing Rubio of being a lobbyist who is not the fiscal conservative he claims to be. But the ad does its subtle part to drive home the narrative that has worked for Rubio all year -- that he, not Crist, is the best fit for the FL GOP electorate.
Rubio is spending $104K on the ads, according to 2 sources with knowledge of the FL ad market. He has spent more than $20K each in the Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa markets, along with smaller buys in Ft. Myers, West Palm Beach and Mobile, AL.
Rubio did not purchase ad time in the Miami market.
But the ad still won't be seen by most FL voters. The expense of each FL market means Rubio has purchased no more than 160 gross rating points on Fox News in the Ft. Myers market, and significantly fewer GRPs in every other market.
Crist had more than $7.5M in the bank at the end of the year, more than 3 times what Rubio has in the bank. That means any time Crist wants to respond with his own ad, he can do so at the drop of a hat.
Rubio's ad, "Children":
Note: This post updated with more comprehensive details of Rubio's ad buy.