Big trend in state politics: Candidates self-fund run

Raising money has always been crucial in politics. But today, being able to spend your own money may be even more crucial, leaving less-wealthy candidates constantly playing catch-up.

With Gov. Rick Scott looking like he’ll run for the U.S. Senate in 2018 — after dropping almost $90 million of his own wealth on his two gubernatorial wins — and multimillionaire Orlando attorney John Morgan considering a run for governor, some suggest being independently wealthy is almost becoming a requirement for running for statewide office in Florida.

“We’ve always had millionaires running,” said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University

of South Florida. “But the trend is that more and more are running, for different reasons. And this year is no exception.”

She said the need to compete with candidates with cash has led to earlier and earlier decisions to run — especially in Florida, a notoriously expensive place to run a statewide campaign because of its 10 media markets.

Scott, a health care executive who spent $75 million to overcome a Republican favorite in the 2010 primary and then win the general election, had pledged not to be so freespending with his own money in 2014. He did, however, spend another $13 million with a week to go before Election Day to overcome Democrat Charlie Crist.

Now, his associated political action committee Let’s Get to Work already has raised almost $2.8 million in 2017 alone, without Scott officially making a decision on a Senate run — or adding any of his own money so far.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, facing the possibility of matching up with Scott next year, was coy about the possibility.

“Well, has he announced?” Nelson said when asked in Tallahassee recently. “How much has he amassed? … Why don’t you go check what I just raised? Whoever is my opponent, I’m going to be ready.”

On a visit to Orlando, Nelson added, “to run in this state, what used to be a very solid campaign of $2 [million] or $3 million, it is almost an average now of $50 [million], $60 [million], $70 million. That’s getting to the levels where it’s going to drive a lot of good people out of office if they don’t have the access to a lot of money.’’

But not every candidate is convinced personal wealth leads to political success.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who filed in February to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018, raised almost $250,000 in his first month after filing, while his associated PAC raised another $500,000.

“I believe strongly that you shouldn’t have a prerequisite of wealth or a family name in order to run for governor,” Gillum told the Orlando Sentinel. “That’s what differentiates me from everyone else running for the governor’s seat.”

A relatively inexpensive way Gillum is reaching voters, he said, is “on Facebook, on Twitter, on Snapchat — you’ve got to reach those folks as well.”

MacManus said social media, “is critical for people under 40. They just don’t watch broadcast TV. There was criticism of Hillary Clinton that she spent three times as much as [President Donald] Trump did on TV ads, and she was aiming at millennials.”

Falling somewhere in the middle of the selffunding spectrum is Chris King. The Winter Park businessman and founder of affordable housing investment company Elevation Financial Group contributed $1 million of his own money to kick off his run governor. He has raised an additional $500,000 between his campaign and associated PAC.

But don’t expect such a large personal influx of cash again, his campaign said.

“Chris does not have the capacity to self-fund, and he doesn’t think it’s a good thing to do,” King campaign adviser Hari Sevugan said in an email.

Sevugan said King’s self-donation was meant to “jump start a grassroots campaign to reach out and activate Floridians who want to be a part of something special for the state’s future.”

King’s strategy to move beyond his initial contribution and raise most of his money from smaller donors is a smart one, MacManus said.

“One million dollars is not going to be sufficient to get your name known,” she said. “[It] doesn’t go a long way in Florida in terms of TV.”

Still, the ability to selffund doesn’t automatically translate to victory.

“The field is littered with millionaires who have run and lost,” she said, including Manatee County businessman Carlos Beruff, who loaned $8 million to his unsuccessful primary campaign against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio last year, and Democrat Wayne Hogan, who spent $4.5 million in a failed congressional bid against former U.S. Rep. John Mica in 2002.

“Most wealthy candidates lose,” said Morgan in an email, adding that he won’t spend any of his own money unless and until he actually runs.

“Those politicians who have been running for office since homeroom know the game and are grinders,” Morgan said. “They eat and breathe it. … Any campaign without substantial small donations has no chance.”