Billionaires, big biz fuel governor’s race ad wars
TALLAHASSEE – The back and forth television ads in Florida’s heated race for governor are being fueled at least in part by large donations by businesses and liberal billionaires hoping to sway the electorate.
Since the primary, Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis have waged battle on the airwaves, with DeSantis and his allies bashing Gillum as a socialist and extreme liberal, and Gillum highlighting his plans to expand Medicaid in the latest salvos.
Gillum, the Democratic nominee, has seen cash infusions from George Soros, a billionaire liberal patron loathed by the right, and Tom Steyer, another billionaire whose group NextGen America pushes policies to combat climate change. Steyer is also leading a national campaign to impeach President Trump.
Steyer told the New York Times on Tuesday he’s putting more than $5 million into efforts to support Gillum.
Soros and his relatives have given Forward Florida, Gillum’s political committee, $1.35 million, including $50,000 since the Aug. 28 primary. NextGen America has given $800,000 directly to the committee and spent $3.5 million to help Gillum win the primary. The group said Wednesday it’s spending another $1.14 million on a pair of digital ads – one contrasting Gillum’s positions on health care, criminal justice reform and edu-
cation, and another to help U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s reelection bid against Gov. Rick Scott.
The 30-second ads, which will run on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, target young voters.
“Young voters have said loud and clear that they want to fix our criminal justice system, invest in our public schools, and fight for affordable health care,” NextGen Florida state youth director Carly Cass said. “Yet leaders like Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott have proven time and time again that they aren’t interested in what we have to say. They are much more about their party interests than the futures of young people.”
DeSantis, the Republican, has received $125,000 from committees affiliated with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, a major business lobby who supported his GOP primary opponent, Adam Putnam.
The largest donation to Friends of Ron DeSantis, the committee backing his campaign, came from Laura Perlmutter, wife of Isaac Perlmutter, a financier and former CEO of Marvel Entertainment. She gave $1.5 million.
Other groups who gave to Putnam during the primary and are now donating to DeSantis include the Foley & Larder law firm, which gave $50,000; James Heavener, the University of Florida trustee and CEO of Full Sail University, who gave $100,000; and August Busch III, of the Anheuser-Busch family, who gave $200,000.
Watchdog PAC, the committee created to back House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s run for governor before he opted out of the race, gave $22,600. Corcoran endorsed Putnam when he decided against running himself.
DeSantis’ committee has given the Republican Party of Florida $5 million since the primary. RPOF released an ad Tuesday called “10 reasons Andrew Gillum is too Radical, too Corrupt for Florida.”
Gillum’s committee also received $200,000 from Mike Fernandez, a former major GOP donor who has left the party over anti-immigration rhetoric. Fernandez is a health care executive from Miami who gave nearly $1.4 million to Scott’s political committee, Let’s Get to Work, between 2010 and 2013.
The donation, first reported by Politico, reflects Fernandez’ disillusionment with the Republican Party, but it also goes to a candidate GOP arms have described as “radical” and “socialist.”
The Republican National Committee slammed Gillum’s acceptance of funds from Soros and Steyer.
“Tom Steyer and George Soros may be willing to throw away millions to elect Andrew Gillum, but they won’t be here to pay the bill for Gillum’s costly, socialist policies,” RNC spokesman Joe Jackson said. “That bill will be sent to the hardworking taxpayers across Florida.”
Other notable donors to Gillum’s committee include former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who gave $10,000 and famed movie director Tyler Perry, who donated $100,000.