Rick Scott and Bill McCollum — the two men vying for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Florida — met for their first debate today, appearing together at a local Univision affiliate. According to local reports of the faceoff (which won’t be broadcast in Florida until later tonight), the debate exposed more of the nastiness between the two men that has characterized the campaign in the run up to the August 24 primary. Neither man seemed to emerge as a winner, which is probably good news for Scott.
The lowdown, as reported by the Palm Beach Post: McCollum “hammered” Scott “for Medicare fraud at Scott’s former hospital chain” and Scott “labeled McCollum a ‘career politician'” during the 45 minutes of debate.
That’s in keeping with recent weeks on the campaign trail, where McCollum has tried (in vain, if the polls are to believed) to stop Scott from running away with the nomination by repeatedly smacking the billionaire over the huge fines his company paid to the federal government amid allegations of Medicare fraud in 1997. Scott has brushed off the attacks, suggesting they’re the desperate cries of a losing man.
Meanwhile, the debate appeared to show Republican voters will get basically the same set of issue positions regardless of who they vote for.
From the Naples News:
Both candidates pledged to create jobs if elected. Scott promised 700,000 new jobs, while McCollum promised 500,000, in part by lowering taxes and regulations. McCollum said that creating new jobs is the key to helping people avoid foreclosures and stay in their homes…The two also squabbled over the Arizona immigration bill, which both said they support and would like to bring to Florida.”
Beth Reinhard of the Miami Herald writes that though he tried to shut Scott down, McCollum didn’t get the job done at the Univision debate:
Down in the polls and running out of time and money, Bill McCollum desperately needed a game-changing moment in Monday’s debate with his rival for governor, Rick Scott. It never came, though McCollum delivered a steadier performance in the first of only two matchups between the leading Republican candidates. … Scott did not commit any major gaffes, though he stumbled a bit and awkwardly suggested that he had embraced the Hispanic community by learning to drink cortaditos and eat late dinners. Not bad for a guy who has never participated in a debate in his life.
The TPM Poll Average shows Scott leading McCollum 41.3-29.3.
