Just two days before the anniversary of Citizens United, the crowded GOP Senate field in Florida is leaning hard on super PAC support for their ever-escalating primary fight. After disappointing third quarter fundraising, former lobbyist Congressman David Jolly has opted to sit back and let his Super PAC do the heavy lifting. Only hours after a Super PAC supporting him launched, Jolly announced that he would no longer be personally fundraising for his Senate campaign.
Jolly isn’t the only candidate satisfied with letting outside groups drown out the voices of Florida families. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has two super PACs working for him, and one of the top advisors to his Senate campaign announced last week that he would be moving over to work for one of the super PACs. Congressman Ron DeSantis has his own Super PAC that raked in $1.2 million by the end of the third quarter, and as the National Journal reported, he also “has the backing of national conservative groups such as the Club for Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund, which have pledged to spend heavily.”
“The Republican candidates aren’t raising the money they need to endure the primary fight ahead, so they are more than happy to sit back and let super PACs do their bidding,” said Lauren Passalacqua, DSCC National Press Secretary. “The crowded field of candidates are already resorting to attacks and name-calling, and the eventual GOP nominee will be deeply damaged and unprepared to face a strong candidate like Patrick Murphy.”
