Rick Scott is the current 45th Governor of the state of Florida, Scott, a wealthy businessman from Tallahassee, is currently seeking reelection; and as he did in his previous campaign(s) he is spending millions of his own dollars to procure this coveted position. Scott allocates most of his campaign dollars to television advertising. These television ads are used to undermine the reputation of his Democratic competitor for governor, Charlie Crist. Not only are Scott's ads meant to emphasize the flaws in Crist's campaign but also the ads serve to misconstrue Crist's words, facts, and display photos in a warped fashion. This is all done in an effort to make the citizens of Florida believe that Scott is clearly the better "man" for the job of governor.
The campaign over the battles for governor of Florida revolves around Scott and Crist creating and airing blatantly negative television ads. Rick Scott specializes in clogging the media and often takes it upon himself, rather than relying on his campaign staff, to maximize the number of negative ads aired against Crist. Marc Caputo of the Tampa Bay Times notes that Scott's advertising campaign makes up 71% of the "50 million-plus commercial spectacle." Scott allocates $8 million for his current ads, dwarfing Crist's $2.5 million spending fund. Scott's ads are infamous. He uses the ads to self-advocate for himself in an effort to retain his position. In 2012 only 31% of the Florida voters viewed Scott favorably and even 53% of his own Republican Party wanted someone other than him as a candidate (Wallace). However, Scott's $70 million convinced Floridians of his ideal candidacy and he won the 2012 governor's seat.
The ads Scott utilizes target Crist's "sordid" relationships with big names. The main relationship Scott rehashes is Crist's very public business dealings with Scott Rothstein, a main player in a 2009 Ponzi scheme.
