Top Democrat Helping Crist With Fundraising
A further sign that the Florida Senate race is essentially now a two man race:
National Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson organized a conference call last week to promote Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s Senate bid, providing further evidence of the governor’s effort to court support in Democratic circles for his Independent campaign.
The invitation to the Friday morning call was distributed in Democratic lobbying and donor circles.
Crist faces the challenge of amassing the funds necessary to compete in the November election, despite having no personal fortune to draw from and no formal party structure backing his campaign. After bolting the Republican Party earlier this year, Crist is hoping he can now raise big dollars from Democratic donors who may not be totally enthused by their party’s top candidates: Rep. Kendrick Meek and wealthy businessman Jeff Greene.
Florida papers reported Thursday that a recent Crist fundraiser in Tallahassee was hosted by former Democratic state House Speaker T.K. Wetherell and other prominent state Democrats.
“I can assure you that this call will provide you with an opportunity to know the Governor of Florida better, and I am certain you will end up realizing that he is one of the most promising national leaders of our generation,” Jacobson, who served as finance chair at the Democratic National Committee under President Bill Clinton, wrote in an email obtained by Roll Call.
Jacobson is married to Mark Penn, who has served as a top pollster and advisor to both President Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Given the fact that the likely Democratic candidate, Kendrick Meek, is sinking like a stone in the polls, it’s understandable why Democrats would be looking elsewhere for a candidate to back.
