Meek: Running Like He's Behind
Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), who once thought he'd be able to coast to the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida, is up with his first television spot in the race going after his financially well-heeled primary rival, Jeff Greene.
The fact that Meek, still a relative unknown to most Florida voters, is going negative to begin his television ad blitz, demonstrates that Greene's ample spending on television ads is having an impact and that he will need to spend early, valuable cash to get through the primary.
The attack line is a familiar one: Greene, an investor who hedged millions of his money betting that the housing market would collapse, became a billionaire on the backs of thousands of Floridians who lost their homes because of the financial crisis. (I'm surprised he didn't show any footage with Greene hanging out, barefoot, with Lindsay Lohan.)
(Meek isn't the only Florida statewide official to find himself swamped by a political unknown with a personal fortune to spend. The GOP's presumed gubernatorial frontrunner, Bill McCollum, has been outspent by self-funder Rick Scott and now trails him in public polling.)
Meek ended the last quarter with $4.1 million in his campaign account, which may sound like a lot of dough, but goes quickly in a state with so many major media markets, like Florida. And Meek's early status as Florida's de facto Democratic nominee was due less because of his political track record - he ran unopposed in nearly all of his Congressional races - than to minimal interest from other Florida Democrats and his close connections to Democratic powerbrokers, from Bill Clinton to his colleagues in leadership.
His political mettle clearly will now be tested, against the money and personal baggage of Greene. The primary will be held on August 24.
(h/t Naked Politics)