Big spending doesn’t equal a win in Florida’s primary for governor

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Andrew Gillum shocked the state of Florida and the country, surging from third in the polls to winning the democratic nomination, despite his wealthy opponents outspending him.

“I’m the only non-billionaire. Well, not millionaire and non-billionaire,” Gillum said.

But while Gillum may not have the personal wealth, he did get some big monetary support during the primaries.

Billionaire George Soros donated well over $1 million to Gillum, while NextGen America, an organization run by another democratic billionaire, Tom Steyer, chipped in as well.

Steyer’s group says they plan to donate even more for the upcoming general election in November.

“I think the outside money is going to play a huge role,” says Terry Miller who is a local political consultant.

Miller says that republicans will have to match the money to stay competitive.

“This is a huge state. We’re the third largest state in the union. Having a Democrat or Republican governor, goes a long way in who has the hands up going into the presidential election. So this is the forefront battleground state,” he says.

The Republican Governor’s Association told WINK News in an email that they took out a $10 million ad buy to help Ron DeSantis, and they will likely spend even more.

Miller says, that means the race will likely be run over the airwaves.

“I think you’re going to see a very TV-intense cycle. I think you’re going to see both campaigns looking for each other’s Achilles heel,” he said.

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