Michael Moline
When the campaigning finally ended, the Florida Chamber had invested $7.2 million in 113 television, radio, and digital ads in state races.
It had mailed 600,000 campaign fliers to voters; interviewed more than 200 candidates and endorsed 116.
The result was that 76 of 89 Florida Chamber-backed candidates won during the primary elections, and 74 of 77 candidates in Tuesday’s general election. The lobbying organization had targeted Florida races, not the presidential contest.
On Wednesday, the Chamber indulged in a victory lap.
“This campaign season, the American free enterprise system has been tested,” the business lobby said in “Florida’s Future: What the road looks like after Florida’s General Election,” a morning-after report containing the numbers above.
“Just as we predicted, trial lawyers, unions, and out-of-state billionaires with extreme agendas attempted to bankroll their candidates into office and exploit their special interest agendas,” the document said. “In fact, trial lawyers and union bosses plunged over $22 million into candidates set on making Florida less competitive.”
On election night, the Chamber watched two state legislative races in particular for clues to the overall outcome: Republican Keith Perry versus Democrat Rod Smith in Gainesville-centered Senate District 8, and House Republican Leader Dana Young versus Democrat Bob Buesing and two unaffiliated candidates in Tampa’s Senate District 18.
Perry won with 52.6 percent of the vote, and Young with 48.2 percent.
As Tallahassee prepares for the new Legislature to take office, Chamber executive vice president David Hart paid tribute to Gov. Rick Scott and took note of the national GOP surge.
“Six years ago, Florida provided an early example to the nation by electing an outsider as our governor with a business background. And that profile and commitment to cutting taxes, reducing regulatory burdens, paying down debt, investing in talent and infrastructure, and supporting free enterprise has created an environment that allowed private sector companies in Florida to produce over 1.2 million net new jobs since 2010,” Hart said.
“America has now taken a page from the Florida playbook.”
