Rick Scott votes in Naples: "I feel really good"

Rick Scott and his wife Ann dodged raindrops Tuesday morning as they cast their ballots at Precinct 477 at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Naples.

"This is a gaggle," Scott said as reporters and photographers encircled him outside the church.

"We're going to have a big day. I feel really good. We're going to have a big win tonight," Scott said. "Hopefully it will be early."

Scott said he woke up at 4:30 a.m. but fell back to sleep. He said he expects a strong turnout and a happy celebration at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel, where the party is being moved outdoors to accommodate an anticipated large crowd.

Scott or Alex Sink will be the 45th governor in the state's history.

-- Steve Bousquet, Times/Herald

Rick Scott's pre-Election Day lead: 100,000 votes

The polls will open in less than a half hour, and already Democrat Alex Sink has to play catchup. Republican Rick Scott and his party outdid themselves in getting out the early and absentee vote, getting nearly 1.1 million Republican ballots cast before today. About 815,000 Democrats cast early and absentee ballots.

Total GOP lead: 271,000 votes. But not all those went to Scott (just like not all Dem ballots went to Sink). And then there's the matter of the nearly 320,000 indpendents/no-party-affiliation voters.

So what's the lead? We averaged the last three poll results and applied the percentages to each candidate. So Sink got about 82, 12 and 48 percent of the Democrat, Republican and independent votes, respectively. Scott got 10, 80 and 38 percent of the Democrat, Republican and independent votes, respectively. Apply those to the ballots cast and Scott is up 112,000, or 5 percentage points.

Note: the formula about doesn't apportion all the ballots cast to Sink and Scott because, together, the polls show they don't get 100 percent of the vote due to undecided voters and those who opt for a third-party candidate. That leaves about 200,000 more ballots cast that could be up for grabs.

Also, early/absentee votes will likely account for about 42 percent of the total votes cast this election. So there's lots of voting to be done today. Still, the pressure's on Sink to scrap on and turn out her vote. Scott has to hang on as he turns out his.

More here

Dems are predicting election spread: painfully close

Sen. Bill Nelson is telling crowds he predicts Alex Sink will win by 4 to 5 percentage points. Her running mate, Rod Smith, thinks it will be much closer than that. Sink makes no prediction except to ask her crowds to bring more people to the polls to ensure "we have an early night."

The breathtakingly close Florida governor's race has neither side taking anything for granted. Sink's campaign headquarters in each county, along with the Florida Democratic Party, are working round that clock Monday and Tuesday, canvassing neighborhoods, making phone calls, in an aggressive get out the vote effort.

Former Sen. Bob Graham told a 200-person crowd at a packed Gator's Dockside restaurant in Gainesville that "the race is very, very close'' "It’s going to depend on turnout,'' he said. "We know how agitated the other side seems to be." Graham asked everyone to take 10 people to the polls “be sure they vote and they vote Democrat and they vote for Alex Sink to be our next governor.”

Sink, Graham and Nelson stopped at campaign headquarters in Sarasota and Lee counties to make phone calls to voters. She urged supporters to "fire up those emails, send out those text messages."

“Every poll that’s coming out today has this race in a dead heat,'' she said in Fort Myers. "What that means is this race is all about who gets out to vote.”

Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, a Sarasota Democrat and political science professor at New College, admitted that "everybody is a little uneasy about this election because it's a strange year -- even the pollsters say voters are all over the place."

He predicted that the despite the record spending in the governor's race, it will be an "old-fashioned election -- where you have to actually wait until the vote comes out to call it."

Smith teared up when he was greeted by his hometown crowd in Gaineville. "This election is going to go down to 100,000 votes and Gainesville is going to make the difference,” he predicted.

Smith couldn't resist a football analogy in the sports bar, referring to the University of Florida's three-point victory over Georgia last week. “Somebody came up to me and said a poll came out and say you’re just three points ahead. Is that enough? I told them, ask Georgia. Three points is wonderful ahead.”

Sink does doughnuts and phone calls with Democratic stalwarts

Facing a former doughnut shot entrepreneur, Alex Sink showed she can do doughnuts too. The Democratic candidate for governor began her day at Bennett’s Fresh Roast in Fort Myers, home of the amazing homemade doughnut,  where she was introduced by the city’s Republican Mayor Randy Henderson. 

Traveling with former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, current Sen. Bill Nelson, Democratic candidate for Attorney General Dan Gelber and her running mate, Rod Smith, they all then went to the Lee County campaign headquarters where they made live calls to voters. 

“My friend, there’s probably not been a more important election in Florida,’’ Graham told a voter he had called. 

The Lee County headquarters planned 12,000 phone calls to voters in that county today. 

Nelson predicted that Sink will draw Southwest Florida Republicans in what he and others expect will be a key to her win: the crossover vote. “Alex has the wind at her back,’’ he said. “ That’s very important because it’s an upward movement on Election Day. I predict Alex wins by 4 to 5 points.”

To close, Alex Sink brings back immigration

Overheard on Spanish-language radio during drive-time Monday morning: a jaw-dropping ad where Democrat Alex Sink attacks Republican Rick Scott on immigration, the touchy issue that introduced him to many Hispanic voters in Florida during the GOP primary.

The spot begins with a man in a car, chatting with his young daughter. He gets pulled over -- for speeding, his daughter says. Apologetically, he gives the police officer his driver's license and registration. In English, the cop asks for citizenship papers. The daughter translates. The man says he doesn't have them. The officer says he's going to have to detain him. The daughter's voice gets increasingly agitated. Then comes the kicker: The officer asks the girl for her proof of citizenship, too.

"But I was born here!" she wails.

Scary music ensues, along with a voice warning voters that Scott would support an Arizona-style immigration policy in Florida.

Sink is not the only Democrat bringing up immigration in a last-minute push for Hispanic support. Congressional hopeful Joe Garcia has a radio ad touting his backing of the U.S. Dream Act.

But the fear-inducing tone of Sink's spot is striking, even in the last-minute flood of campaign ads. Tuesday will tell if it's too little, too late.

Q Poll: Alex Sink leads Rick Scott by a nose, 1 point

Quinnipiac University just released its day-before-the-election poll that shows Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Rick Scott are locked in a virtual tie. Sink gets 44 percent, Scott gets 43 percent, other candidates garner 4 percent and 9 percent will vote for Mr. Undecided/Mrs. Don't Know. Error margin: 3.2 percent for the 925 likely voter survey conducted from Oct. 25-31.

Sink remains slightly better-liked, with 43 percent of voters having a favorable opinion and 40 percent an unfavorable one. Scott remains upside-down: 50 percent view him negatively; 39 percent positively. Sink is also favored by independents (47-34) and draws slightly more Republican votes (10 percent) than Scott (5 percent).

The poll also finds 9 percent of voters say they might change their minds. That's probably doubtful. If there's any change of heart, it could involve not going to the polls. And that would likely hurt Sink. Despite the closeness of the race, Sink remains behind right now, with Republicans vastly outperforming Democrats in votes cast by early and absentee ballots. If Sink fails to inspire rank-and-file Democrats tomorrow, call him Gov. Rick Scott.

The Q Poll suggests Scott has some momentum on his side. Last week, Q poll found Sink led by 4.

The race for U.S. Senate is essentially over, the poll finds. Marco Rubio (45 percent) has a commanding lead over Gov. Charlie Crist (31 percent) and Rep. Kendrick Meek (18) percent.

45-31-18

Video: Alex Sink gets her groove on at rally

Democrat Alex Sink grooves to the tune of Akon's "Dangerous" at a early voting rally in Jacksonville.

Alex Sink feeds the followers with "souls to the polls" push in Jacksonville

When the doors opened at the early voting site in Jacksonville's Elections Center at the Gateway Shopping Mall, the line of voters was 40 deep. An hour later, 80 people were waiting in line, many of them still in their church clothes, now sweaty from the heat.

It was part of the Democrat Party's coordinated campaign effort to bring out the African American vote on the final day of early voting. In Duval, the effort included phone calls and pulpit prayers.

Democrat Alex Sink took a whirlwind tour of four black churches Sunday morning, joined by Congresswoman Corrine Brown. Brown enticed voters with a chicken dinner at her campaign headquarters across the street from an early voting site in the heart of Jacksonville's North Side. "You've got to vote first,'' Brown said.

Inside, state Sen. Tony Hill dished up platters of barbeque chicken, baked beans, cole slaw and bisquits. "We're going to exceed expectations,'' he predicted of the African American vote.

Sink spoke at each of the churches and acknowledged the bruising election fight. "My faith tells me not to pray for victory, because god will decide that, but to pray for strength,'' she told her audiences, then asked for their prayers.

Photo: Sen. Tony Hill dishes up chicken dinners to voters at U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown's Jacksonville headquarters.

 

 

Special interests give big to both Ds and Rs leading to general election

What recession? Despite the state having the highest jobless rate in decades, homeowners struggling with mortgage rates, and consumer spending depressed, Florida's Republican and Democratic parties hauled in nearly $31.6 million in the two months since the primary election -- a record for Democrats -- according to finance reports filed on Friday.

Corporations, labor unions, wealthy individuals and political committees donated uncapped sums to fuel one of the most expensive election cycles on record. And even though polls show a lopsided number of voters favor Republicans this election cycle, the Florida Democratic Party showed its fight too -- raising just slightly more ($32,000) than the Republican Party of Florida. 

The Republicans, marred by a year of intra-party infighting, were helped in part by Rick Scott, the millionaire businessman who has financed his own campaign with a record $73 million, making it the most expensive race in Florida history. 

By contrast, Democrat Alex Sink finished the fundraising cycle having raised $11.2 million, including $6 million in soft money from in-kind contributions. Her campaign was aided by the Florida Democratic Party, which has no limits on what it can collect from contributors. She used the money to pay for the salaries of Sink’s campaign manager, communications director and other top deputies. 

Alex Sink isn't saying what she knew about Meek-Clinton-Crist talks

Democrat Alex Sink made four stops in Miami-Dade and two more in Broward yesterday, giving brief interviews to reporters who invariably asked  about the talks former President Bill Clinton had with and Kendrick Meek over the U.S. Senate race.

“Clearly, it’s been a distraction,” Sink acknowledged at one point. Will it have an effect on the governor's race? We explore that here.

As the de facto head of the Florida Democratic Party, what did Sink know about the discussions? She wouldn’t tell, other than to say that she heard discussions and “rumors” for weeks.

 “I didn’t want to be involved,” she said, noting she’s focusing on her own campaign.

 But was she included in any of the discussions or negotiations? 

“I didn’t want to be involved,” Sink said again.

Asked if her response was “no,” Sink repeated her line: “I didn’t want to be involved.”

“I’m going to be very forthright. And tell you that I have been really focused on my race for governor… particularly in the last three or four days. I am a strong supporter for Kendrick Meek. I’ve endorsed him. I’m getting ready to vote for him on Tuesday.”

“I’ve been really focused on convincing Floridians to get out and vote and vote for Alex Sink for governor," she said. "I am focused on things that I have control over. And one of the thing that I have control over is shaking hands and meeting with all Floridians from all walks of life and representing the fact that this is a critical historic election for Florida.”

Sink, who met with black leaders and community activists at a fried catfish lunch served at Jackson’s Soul Food in Overtown, said she’s not worry about a depressed African-American turnout. She said she met Thursday night with black pastors and none brought up the Meek matter.

“It really didn’t come up. What I heard last night in my multiple stops was an enormous amount of enthusiasm...The African American community understands and Floridians understand that the person who is elected as governor to lead our state out of this economic crisis that we’re in is critically important to our future,” she said. “I am seeing lots of momentum, lots of enthusiasm.”

But in the background, Rick Scott loomed. While the Jackson waitresses served up soul food, a giant plasma screen over the bar flashed Rick Scott’s latest commercial that brands Sink as a failure and ends with this message: “Alex Sink can’t run this state.”