A.G. Gancarski
It appears there will be an air war in Florida’s 4th Congressional District after all, as both candidates will make their cases to television viewers down the stretch.
Advertising Analytics reported Monday that both Republican incumbent Rep. John Rutherford and his challenger on the November ballot, Democrat Donna Deegan, have ad reservations for broadcast television flights in the Jacksonville market.
Deegan, a former broadcast journalist, has placed $85,000 starting Monday and running through Nov. 3, bringing her total for the election to $239,000.
Rutherford, in office since 2016, dropped $22,000 starting Tuesday, and extending through Sept. 27, bringing his total to $186,000.
Deegan made a public appeal on Twitter earlier in September, with the explicit goal of getting a spot on television.
“My first commercial is ready for TV but we need your help to get it on the air. Please watch and share and if you can make a donation,” Deegan urged.
The current 30 second spot, entitled “Didn’t earn it,” is an appeal to Republicans and independents to vote for the person, not the party.
The play is especially logical given that CD 4 is 48% Republican and just 28% Democrat.
In a survey conducted Sept. 2 by St. Pete Polls and commissioned by Florida Politics, Rutherford, the two-term incumbent Republican and former Jacksonville Sheriff, leads Deegan by a comfortable margin.
Rutherford was the choice of 62% of the 1,037 likely voters polled, while Deegan lags far behind with the support from just 35%, with the remainder undecided.
Deegan has struggled to find a natural base in what was drawn to be a safe Republican district.
Even women are breaking for the incumbent with 59% backing the former sheriff and just 37% favoring Deegan.
Meanwhile, the former Sheriff has a two to one advantage among men in CD 4
Deegan was winning comfortably with Democrats, 77% to Rutherford’s 21%. But with just 11% support among Republicans, and 36% support among independent voters, the hope clearly is that TV will drive a turnaround.
One comment
Sonja Fitch
September 23, 2020 at 4:48 pm
Rutherford ain’t notin but a goptrump cult sociopath racist sexist liar! Rutherford left JSO a disaster by placating ! Rutherford let JSO officers harass the black communities in Atlantic Beach! Officer Mullens! Racist still to this day harassing the black communities! Vote blue! Vote Democrat up and down ballot !
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