The Gubernatorial Race is Finally Here

Jeanine Ramirez, Junior Staff Writter|November 4, 2014

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The election is here! If you’re of age, make sure your voice is heard: VOTE!

#Fangate blew Florida’s gubernatorial race into headlines of news broadcasts and social media around the country, changing the polls and giving Charlie Crist a slight lead over Governor Rick Scott. #fangate was started at a debate between the two candidates over an “extremely peculiar situation,” said the debate monitor, Elliot Rodriguez, as the situation unfolded.

Charlie Crist apparently likes to have a fan with him to keep him cool when talking to his crowds, so when he had a fan with him behind his podium at the debate, Rick Scott was not happy because he was breaking the ‘no electronics” rule. Eliot Rodriguez stated that “Governor Crist has asked to have a fan, a small fan, placed underneath his podium. The rules of the debate that I was shown by the Scott campaign say that there should be no fan. Somehow there is a fan there, and for that reason ladies and gentlemen I am being told that Governor Scott will not join usfor this debate.”

About five minuets later, Rick Scott returned to the stage and Charlie Crist did not have to give up his fan. As to why Rick Scott reacted the way he did, no one truly knows why and is being debated.

Rick Scott’s campaign began to focus their efforts on what are called “fortress precincts,” or republican areas that didn’t vote in the last election. His motto, “Let’s Keep Working” embodies the purpose is his campaign.

 

The Tampa Bay Times has reported $64 million dollars have been spent in Rick Scott’s “ad campaign.” Charlie Crist, however, has only spent around $32 million. On Scott’s campaign website, his key polices are: Let’s Keep College Affordable, Let’s Keep Florida Learning, Let’s Keep Florida Moving, Let’s Keep Florida Beautiful, Jobs for the Next Generation, Let’s Keep Florida Safe, Caring for Florida Families, Let’s Keep Small Business Working, Let’s Keep Florida Ports Working, and Let’s Keep Working Tax Cuts. On Crist’s campaign website, his key position on policies are: Economy & Jobs, Seniors, Environment & Clean Energy, Insurance & Consumer Protection, Education, Transportation, Supreme Court, Open Government, Medical Marijuana, Women’s Rights, Equality, Immigration, Health Care, Voting Rights, and Israel. While his motto “The People’s Governor” isn’t as strongly reinforced as Scott’s, Crist has been using the power of political celebrity as the campaign comes down to the wire.

The “$50 million-plus commercial spectacle” continued to unfold a week before the elections, and it has been said that in the end the options are as such: Crist will win, Scott will win, or that there will be a rare and dreaded recount. Early voting has already begun and at this point in the race each candidate is going to have to pull off an amazing Hail Mary pass and hope it works, because since the #fangate debate, the race between Crist and Scott is closer than ever. It’s so close that Crist has taken the lead by .4% over Scott according to the Huntington Post poll. As of October 20, 2014, Crist has 42.7% of votes while Scott has 42.3%. Even now, in the final days of the election, the winner of the gubernatorial race is now at an even 50/50.