Scott Powers
National political committees that played a major role in helping U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy win her seat in Congress two years ago are coming to her aid again, with nearly $1.2 million in outside money spent in Florida’s 7th Congressional District through last week — almost all of it on her side.
The Democratic House Majority Political Action Committee has poured about $800,000 into television advertising in the past 10 days attacking Murphy’s Republican opponent, state Rep. Mike Miller, and several other groups have pitched in for her as well in recent weeks, according to the latest independent expenditure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Much of the House Majority PAC money went into a television commercial that Miller’s campaign charged was false, and which at least one Orlando-area TV station has pulled, according to Miller’s campaign.
Nonetheless, few outside groups have been riding to Miller’s rescue. Through last Wednesday, the only independent group to help out Miller has been Central Florida Solutions, which has spent $63,878 on mailers, including some sent out last week.
So far, groups supporting Murphy have spent $1.1 million in the CD 7 general election campaign.
Murphy has gotten support not just from the Democrats, but from the No Labels Action group that pushes for bipartisan, moderate politics. That group, which to date has supported 11 Democrats and nine Republicans running for Congress this year, has spent $153,000 on mailers and digital advertising supporting Murphy.
She also has received another $125,000 in general election support, through radio advertising, from the Center Forward Committee. Four other groups, including the Environmental Defense Action Fund and the Brady Political Action Committee, have spent a few thousand dollars apiece supporting her campaign.
