GOP insiders fear Rick Scott — but fear Alex Sink more

Republican nominee Rick Scott’s win invokes fear among Tallahassee insiders, but Democratic nominee Alex Sink worries them even more. Many top-tier lobbyists don’t know their Republican nominee for governor. They backed Bill McCollum, pumped millions into his primary campaign, and lost. Now, with party control of the Governor’s Mansion at stake, they mounted an effort Wednesday to show that Republicans are one big happy family. Scott, who avoided the spotlight a day after victory except for a CNN interview, said party unity is being repaired. He cited statements of support from the Republican Governors’ Association, state legislative leaders and Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher. “We’re going to put it back together,” predicted Thrasher, the state senator who last week demanded Scott take down a TV ad he called “patently not true.” Thrasher heads to Fort Lauderdale on Thursday in an attempt to make peace with Scott. After declaring victory, Scott predicted the party would unify, then threw one last jab. “The deal-makers are crying in their cocktails,” he said in

his victory speech. That wasn’t far off. An election night gaggle of lobbyists, gathered at a Hilton along Interstate 4 near Orlando to crown McCollum as the GOP nominee, quickly became a political wake. As they packed their bags and checked out Wednesday, many of the same lobbyists wore shell-shocked looks. Asked if he would raise money for Scott like he did for McCollum, U.S. Sugar Corp. lobbyist Robert Coker said: “Rick Scott looks like he doesn’t need any money.” Along with Scott’s victory came a negative aura, with polls showing nearly 40 percent of voters with an unfavorable opinion of him. Sink now hopes to exploit that and she said Wednesday she’ll mount “a very aggressive campaign” against Scott, and won’t shy away from attacking him on the Medicare fraud case against his former company. “It’s important for Floridians to understand what the past experience of the potential future governor is,” she said.

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GOP insiders fear Rick Scott — but fear Alex Sink more

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