Rick Scott is preparing to defend his Florida governorship with the most expensive reelection campaign in state history, drawing up plans for a battleship-sized political operation aimed at overcoming the Republican’s deep personal unpopularity.
The anticipated price tag, according to sources familiar with Scott’s plans: $100 million.
Scott is no stranger to heavy spending; the former hospital care executive put some $73 million of his own money into an insurgent 2010 primary campaign and a narrow general election win. His TV ads saturated the Florida airwaves for months.
But Scott’s 2014 campaign — possibly pitting him against party-switching former GOP Gov. Charlie Crist as the Democratic candidate — won’t just be a jacked-up version of the 2010 version, knowledgeable Republicans said. In addition to darkening the sky with paid media, Scott’s team is looking at the possibility of creating a state-specific data and analytics division, either within the campaign or at the Republican Party of Florida.
The idea would be to replicate President Barack Obama’s success in targeting and turning out Sunshine State voters — though sources cautioned that no final decisions have been made about the project.
MORE: Scott plans $100M campaign vs. Crist – Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman – POLITICO.com.