Gov. Rick Scott’s senatorial campaign is all-but over, but not because he can’t defeat incumbent Senator Bill Nelson.
As a matter of fact, Scott has stopped campaigning, but because he doesn’t have to.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Michael, the Category 4 storm that ravaged the panhandle is the October Surprise of 2018.
Scott’s spokesman Chris Hartline has announced that Scott will focus on storm recovery efforts and his wife Ann will concentrate on the senate campaign.
This is not good for Sen. Nelson. This is like a 1-2 punch by two individuals who are well-known and like around the state.
As was the case with Hurricane Irma last year, all eyes and cameras will be fixed on Rick Scott, giving the two-term governor and senatorial candidate unprecedented free earned media, or news coverage.
"Governor Scott will be focused on response and recovery from the devastating hurricane that hit the Panhandle for the foreseeable future," Scott campaign adviser Chris Hartline said in a statement. "It’s unclear, at this point, whether he will hold any campaign events before the November 6th election, though it is still possible closer to election day."-POLITICO
There you have it. Scott’s focus will indefinitely be on helping Floridians recover from the storm.
The latest average of polls has Nelson leading by +2.4, but these numbers and stats are pre-Hurricane Michael.